3rd September, 2018
Photo: Getty Image
More trophies and children are hopefully in Serena Williams future, said tennis’s most famous working mother on Sunday, adding that she appreciated how difficult it is to raise both.
A day after celebrating her daughter Alexis Olympia’s first birthday, Williams had a little celebration for herself on Sunday, securing a place in the U.S. Open quarter-finals with a topsy-turvy 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 win over Estonia’s Kaia Kanepi, to leave her on track for a record equaling 24th career Grand Slam.
Always an imposing physical presence, Williams conceded that she had expected to be back at her best sooner, but learned quickly that her life had changed forever, and along with that, the way she must approach the sport.
“I was just living in this world where I thought it would just automatically come together,” said Williams, who is just seven events into her comeback that began in March in Indian Wells.
“I think society puts it out there that you’ll just kind of snap back and that’s just a myth.
“I feel like it’s important for women to know that it doesn’t happen like that in the Instagram world.
“But in the real world, it takes a while for your body to come back.
“Not only that, mentally and physically and dealing emotionally with providing for another child, it’s a lot that goes into it,” she said.
Williams is not longer just a tennis player, but a tennis playing mother.
Every interview she had conducted through the first week of the U.S. Open fortnight, from court-side chats, to post-match news conferences, now come with the obligatory mother/daughter story-line.
Williams, who has often viewed her media obligations with drudgery, has so far delighted in sharing details of motherhood, from giving birth and dealing with post-pregnancy complications like blood clots, to the simple joys of playing and spending time with her daughter.
Those thoughts on Sunday, included future plans to grow her family.
“I have obviously thought of having more kids, and it will happen, God willing, in time,” said Williams., adding,“I think everything is going to happen in time.
“Right now it’s not time yet because I’m thinking about playing tennis and enjoying this time with Olympia.
“Then I’ll have plenty of time in the future to hopefully.”