Serena reflects on ‘miracle’ milestone: ‘It’s the toughest thing I have ever dealt with in my career’
NEW YORK, NY, USA - As a devout Jehovah’s Witness, Serena Williams doesn’t celebrate birthdays or most holidays. But when she takes to Arthur Ashe Stadium again this Sunday, she’ll be marking an important - and emotional - ‘miracle’ milestone for Serena: the birth of her daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Junior.
After a comprehensive victory over Karolina Muchova, which saw the 23-time Grand Slam champion blast 20 winners and five aces en route to a 6-3, 6-2 victory, Serena opened up in her post-match press conference about the long road back after her terrifying, near-death ordeal during the delivery - and reflected on the ‘toughest’ moment’ of her career so far.
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“Two years ago I had things attached to my arm, IVs, and it was a miracle that happened, having my baby,” Serena told press after her US Open third round victory.
“It was really a great day for me. Then it all went downhill,” she added with a wry smile. “It all went downhill after that for a good five days.”
Serena shared her harrowing postnatal experience in a February 2018 interview with Vogue: after undergoing an emergency Cesarean section, and Serena then found herself having to fight for her life in the days that followed after developing blood clots in her lungs. She needed four surgeries to treat the life-threatening pulmonary embolism, and was bedridden for six weeks.
Two years on from that ordeal, Serena is practically an expert at balancing motherhood with a professional tennis schedule. Olympia is already a regular fixture on the tour, traveling regularly with Serena and her team - but the No.8 seed admitted that she still struggles to leave the toddler behind when it’s time for work.
“In the beginning she would really be upset when I left. And now she's a little bit better. I think I'm a little more upset,” she admitted with a grin, before turning pensive once again. “You know, it's hard. Sometimes my heart literally aches when I'm not around her. But it's good for me, I guess, to keep working… Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do.”
At home, Serena said, she schedules her practices and training sessions early in the morning, so that the rest of her day is clear for mom duties. But at tennis tournaments, that routine can be hard to keep up.
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“In tournament schedule, it's totally different, so I'm kind of pushed out of my usual day-to-day life,” she explained. “Oh, my God, I'm not with her. That's been the most, I mean, ‘the’ toughest thing I have ever dealt with in my career.”
Having to overcome the toughest challenge of her career before taking the court every single day might sound emotionally draining, but a pair of Grand Slam finals at Wimbledon and the US Open in 2018 - two of her first three majors after becoming a mom - prove that she is learning to manage the new normal.
Even still, Serena has yet to win a title after returning from maternity leave, and a 24th Grand Slam title - a feat that would tie the all-time record for most major singles victories - remains elusive.
On the hunt once more, she’s been tested this week with challenging matchups against Maria Sharapova in the first round and a tough three-setter against McNally in the second, but cruised against Muchova in the third round.
Read more: As it happened: Serena marches past Muchova at US Open
“Obviously I would be so lying if I said I enjoy the tough matches more,” she reflected after her comeback win over McNally earlier in the week.
“But I think looking back years later, I enjoy the tough matches more. But in the moment, in the weeks after, it's definitely a different feeling.”
Serena Williams continues her 2019 US Open campaign on Sunday, where she’ll take on No.22 seed Petra Martic on Arthur Ashe Stadium.