If you thought things couldn’t get any better for the superstar of tennis, think again ‘Baby”.
One of the greatest athletes of her generation, Serena Williams and fiancé Alexis Ohanian have just confirmed they are 20 weeks pregnant with their first child. That would indicate that Serina was already 8-9 weeks pregnant when she won the Australian Open earlier this year.
While Williams will not play again in 2017, she will miss the years remaining three grand slams The French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.
After the announcement, Williams publicist was very quick to announce that she has every intention to make her tennis comeback in 2018, but at the age of 36, and a as a new mum, will she really want to return to the sport which gave her fame and fortune. I suppose with the right motivation, anything is possible.
Over the last 20 years, Serena has clearly established herself to be one of history’s finest champions, winning a total of 23 grand slams. . And she wouldn’t be the first player to return to the court after giving birth. Kim Clijsters triumphed at the US Open in 2009 to cement her as the third mother to win a grand slam following the footsteps of Aussie tennis mums Margaret Court and Evonne Goolagong.
Serena chose to announce her news to the world with a teasing snapshot posted to her snapchat account simply stating “20 weeks”. Williams, posted a side profile shot of herself in a yellow swimsuit, before it was promptly deleted.
This isn’t the first time Williams has surprised fans by sharing personal news in the form of a picture. In December, she and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian took to his site to announce their engagement with a cartoon of the moment he (or rather his avatar) got down on bended knee after 15 months of dating. He sealed the deal with a huge diamond ring, which Serena happily showed off in January.
The pair first met at a lunch in Rome and Alexis chose to return to the same restaurant where it all began to pop the question.
Serena has known pressure from a very young age. Even before she was born, her father Richard Williams was glued to the television watching in awe Romanian tennis player Virginia Ruzici walk home with a $40,000 cheque after winning a tournament.
Amazed that a female athlete could reel in that kind of cash, Richard who had no tennis experience himself, set about creating the sports next female superstar.
At first he tried training his ex wife, and his three stepdaughters from his marriage to Price, but it wasn’t until Venus and Serena were born, that Richard knew he had found his money magnet.
Children were always going to be a major force in Serena’s life, if all her dogs are any indication.
With marriage and family on the horizon, industry insiders are wondering if we have seen the last of Serena at Grand Slam events, and knowing her, they’ll likely be left wondering.
Serena loves competing and loves the trophy, but how will she cope with being a trophy wife and mum?
