Serena Williams has given an interview to Elle magazine where she reviews the hardest moments during the birth of her daughter Olympia and how tennis has prepared her for the most complicated situations. The former number one has not competed since June 29, 2021, the day she said enough is enough and she had to withdraw from Wimbledon. Nine months later, the American herself affirms what she has between her eyebrows: “I have 23 Grand Slams to my name, more than any other active player. But winning is now a wish and no longer a need”.
Serena, until the birth of her daughter, had tasted victories, defeats, and all kinds of successes and failures. The life of a tennis player is not at all calm, and Serena knows what it is to be in the spotlight of all the critical voices that surround tennis. But thanks to her pregnancy, Serena was able to live a calm stage. “I enjoyed the positive attention. I’m used to receiving negative attention from the press and critics, but this was different. I settled into a new way of being. I was relaxed without playing, I was just sitting at home, it was wonderful”.
change of priorities
Since 2017, Serena Williams’ priorities have changed radically, since her daughter Olympia was born in September of that same year. “I have a beautiful daughter at home, but I still want the titles, the success and the esteem, but it is not my reason to wake up in the morning. I have learned to dust myself off after defeat, to defend what matters at all costs, to defend what is fair. it turned out that giving birth to my baby was a test of how loud and how often I would have to scream before being heard”.
The youngest of the Williams is a stone’s throw away from Margaret Court’s record as the tennis player with the most Grand Slam titles in tennis history, with a total of 24 major titles. After winning her last Australian Open, Williams acknowledged being pregnant, but it was two days before starting the first major of the year when she was aware of the situation. “When I found out I was pregnant two days before the 2017 Australian Open, my body had already changed. Of course, being pregnant didn’t mean she couldn’t play tennis. She was scheduled to compete at eight weeks. He wasn’t sure how the tournament would go; during training, I was getting more tired between points. I was determined to play fast and hard before the Melbourne heat hit me. I won seven matches, all in straight sets”.
Postpartum complications: a life lesson
Serena explains that, due to minor complications during the delivery, the doctors had to perform a caesarean section so that Olympia would not have any problems at birth. After so many operations throughout her career, the American affirms that she was ready for a new surgery. “I thought, ‘I’ve had so many surgeries, what does another one matter?’ Being an athlete is often about controlling your body, exercising its power, but also knowing when to give up.”.
The recovery process was very hard for Serena. The tennis player, who in 2010 was diagnosed with clots in her lungs, saw how the ghosts of the past traveled to the present. Thanks to her insistence and the performance of the doctors, Williams did not suffer major damage and was discharged. “When I first came home I couldn’t walk. When I finally reached a tree halfway down the driveway everyone in my family cheered me on and said, ‘You’re doing great!’ They were carrying the pain inside, but still everyone acted as if nothing was wrong. My father was very encouraging and said, ‘Look, you did it!’ I’m glad they didn’t let me see the bad in reality.”
