Serena Williams: Tennis and Motherhood

By: Greta Stuckey

Serena Williams and her baby daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., born in 2017.

A household name in the world of sports, Serena Williams identifies as a mother and one of the greatest female tennis players of all time.

Williams has been a pro tennis player since 1995 and has since racked up 73 singles titles and 23 doubles titles (many of them with her sister Venus Williams). Williams has won four Olympic gold medals and also won the 2017 Australian open when she was two months pregnant with her daughter Alexis.

Through all the success on the tennis court, Williams has become an icon over the past decade for all women, but especially for women of color. Williams has overcome adversity and uses her platform to encourage other women to do the same. With her marketability, Williams has been the highest paid female athlete for years. When Williams gave birth to her daughter Olympia in 2017, she earned $27million in prize money and endorsements.

“I think sometimes women limit themselves. I know that we’re sometimes taught to not dream as big as men, not to believe we can be a president or a CEO, when in the same household, a male child is told he can be anything he wants. I’m so glad I had a daughter. I want to teach her that there are no limits.” -Williams

While Williams battled many people on the court in 2017, she also had to battle pregnancy's challenges and birth complications. Alexis was born by emergency C-section because her heart rate was dangerously low during contractions. The C-section was successful and Alexis was born healthy, but that was only the first challenge for Williams.

Dealing with blood clots for most of her life, Williams knew when something in her body felt off. The day after giving birth, Williams had shortness of breath and feared she was having another pulmonary embolism. Warning the hospital nurses, Williams told them what she needed, but the hospital did not originally take her word.

What the doctors didn't realize was that after putting her on blood thinning medication, her C-section would reopen and experience hemorrhaging. She then went back into surgery and had a filter interested into a major vein to prevent more blood clots. For the first six weeks of motherhood, Williams laid in bed recovering. Yet only one year after giving birth, Williams was back on the courts, ready to dominate on the professional stage. Williams was both physically and mentally nervous about her comeback after having Alexis.

“Sometimes I get really down and feel like, Man, I can’t do this,” Williams said to Vogue. It’s that same negative attitude I have on the court sometimes. No one talks about the low moments—the pressure you feel, the incredible letdown every time you hear the baby cry. I’ve broken down I don’t know how many times. The emotions are insane.”

Williams has been back on professional tour since 2018 and has found continued success. She has opted out of certain competitions for health reasons and opted out of the 2021 Olympics because of the travel restrictions which would have barred her from bringing Alexis.

“I would not be able to go function without my 3-year-old around,” Williams said to the NYT. “I think I would be in a depression. We’ve been together every day of her life.”

Most recently, Williams had to withdraw from the U.S. Open Finals because of a torn hamstring injury. While younger generations step into the tennis spotlight as they make history, Williams continues to make a legacy for herself and for women in sports. Although she is a professional tennis player, her first priority is now her daughter. HBO created a series featuring Williams and Alexis called Being Serena which features Williams pregnancy journey and motherhood while still being one of the most dominant players on the court.

In the eyes of some female tennis fans, the sport is looking for a new name as Serena gets older and prioritizes her daughter. Williams is not finished with her professional career yet and is still looking to get 25 Grand Slam Titles before retirement. In the meantime, she is focused on mental health, physical wellbeing, parenting and being a role model for women and young girls across the world.