Serena Williams participated in an interview series that included a fan saying one can’t play tennis while pregnant, a topic Williams has a unique understanding of.
It has been over two years since Williams ended her legendary career. She is widely considered the greatest female tennis player ever, with several notable achievements during her time as a professional player.
Williams won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, as well as 14 major doubles titles alongside her sister Venus Williams. She was also the world No. 1 for an incredible 319 weeks despite having many talented rivals.
The American’s aura is so significant that Naomi Osaka hesitated to hire Williams’ former coach Patrick Mouratoglou, fearing that the former No. 1 did not need a coach and Mouratoglou played no role in her success.
It is challenging to choose Williams’ most impressive Grand Slam triumph. She won her first major singles title at the 1999 US Open as a 17-year-old, which was an incredible achievement.
However, some argue that the 42-year-old’s best moment was at the 2017 Australian Open. That was the scene of her final Grand Slam singles title despite Williams reaching four more finals afterward.
Serena defeated her sister Venus in the women’s singles final of the Australian Open, but the scale and enormity of that achievement was not entirely comprehended until a few months later.
Williams announced she was 20 weeks pregnant in April 2017, meaning she was nine weeks pregnant by the end of her run at the Australian Open. Triumphing as a professional athlete at one of the most significant events while pregnant was remarkable.
Despite being retired for over two years, Williams continues to receive accolades in recognition of her tennis career and entrepreneurial efforts. Glamour Magazine recently named her the ‘Woman of the Year 2024.’
The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion participated in an interview series shared through TikTok to celebrate the honor. In one of the clips, she responded to a fan who argued that playing tennis while pregnant is impossible.
“Well, I kind of did. I was, oh my gosh, I ended up being like nine weeks pregnant when I finished. But, yeah, you can definitely play tennis while being pregnant.”
However, the tennis legend added an important caveat. Williams said people who were playing tennis before becoming pregnant can keep playing, but it would not be wise to try it for the first time when pregnant.
“If that’s your normal, if you played tennis before, then you can continue to do it while you’re pregnant.”
Fans were lucky to watch Williams play for so long. Anett Kontaveit, who announced she gave birth to her first child, was forced to retire from the sport at 27, making it easier for her to start a family at a younger age.
In the video below, Williams laughs when she reads the comment from the TikTok account, knowing immediately that she is uniquely placed to give an insightful opinion by remembering her 2017 Australian Open run.
