How Serena Williams rewrote the playbook for female athletes juggling motherhood and sport
For those who prefer the company of their own gender – as opposed to those who are not female and therefore prefer the company of their own gender – the last weekend in November can only bring bad news. The tennis great Serena Williams will enter the twilight of ‘her’ career, having won the men’s and women’s world championships and the Olympic gold medal. It was a remarkable season for the 32 year-old Wimbledon champion. She won the women’s championship in all four of her tournaments. She was world No. 1 but she also made the final of the U.S. Open and was ranked No. 1 in the world. And at her peak, she also made the semifinals at all four Grand Slam tournaments.
Serena is married to Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian, who had one less child than her. The tennis player is pregnant with their first child – a baby boy – and she will be entering the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
Serena Williams on how to balance motherhood and sport as a female athlete
Serena’s choice to play professional tennis during her prime and with no children, while still pursuing her career as a world class athlete, has been met with criticism by some.
“For so long women athletes had to choose between motherhood and sport, and as we know – that’s a pretty difficult choice to make,” said Serena (Serena V. Williams). “I’m glad, though, that I was able to pursue both.”
As a 21 year-old college student, she competed on the college tennis team at Duke University. She did well on the tennis circuit and won the U.S. Junior Championship. At that time, she was one of the best college players in the country.
Then Serena was asked to join the professional tour. It was an offer that she took and she played regularly for the next seven years. She won the women’s and doubles titles at the 2012 Summer Olympics. She won the U.S.
