Serena Williams is a female athlete that I have always found fascinating. Many fail to recognize that beyond her domination within women’s tennis, she is one of the greatest athletes of our time. The now 35-year-old worked her way into the pro tennis circuit back in 1995, shortly after her sister Venus. The Williams sisters have proved that they belong in the tennis world, with an impressive number of grand slam titles between them. In fact, Serena has 23 grand slam singles titles and plenty of hardware from the Olympics. Amidst the glory, she has also been subject to negative remarks from the media about her body, race, and gender. It’s unfortunate that this isn’t too surprising considering that Serena is a black female athlete with a muscular build. Nevertheless, she continues to dominate and leave us all in awe.
Recently, the world learned that the queen of tennis is 20 weeks pregnant, and it has caused quite the stir. The news came as a shock in part because of the fact that Serena is playing incredible tennis at the moment. The media quickly jumped to writing stories about Serena’s pregnancy announcement, but the amazing part is what she accomplished at the beginning of it. She competed in and won the Australian Open without dropping a set, all while being about two months pregnant. Winning a grand slam is something that I'll never accomplish, let alone winning a title while pregnant. What really blows my mind about this is that Serena Williams just did something that no male athlete can. Winning a major title during pregnancy shows what the female body is capable of.
The question at hand is: when will Serena return to tennis? According to the New York Times, she will be out for the rest of 2017, but will be back for the 2018 tennis season. With her recent engagement and a baby on the way, life is definitely changing for the tennis star. Serena is playing her best tennis right now in her thirties, and I look forward to her return. I hate to say it, but her pregnancy does have an impact on her career (like pregnancy does for many women). If she were a male athlete, she could have children without missing a beat. For women, there is extra pressure to choose between family and career success. Since Serena is so close to breaking the grand slam singles record, I hope she makes a return and plays better tennis than ever. Success in athletics and motherhood can be balanced, and I am sure that Serena Williams will prove that.
