Serena Williams poses with baby for ‘VOGUE’ cover and opens up about dealing with postpartum issues

Jan 10, 2018

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Serena Williams is serving up some major #GOALS in the February issue of VOGUE.

The superstar athlete and her adorable baby girl, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr, graces the cover of the venerable fashion magazine’s February issue and inside, Williams opens up about marriage, motherhood, and her return to the tennis court.

Here are 6 things we learned about Serena from the fabulous feature:

1. 1. What’s in a name? Serena Williams welcomed her daughter, Alexis, on September 1 but she and her husband have different nicknames for their bundle of joy. Serena calls her baby Olympia while her husbands prefers Junior.
  2. She could do the stay-at-home-mom thing…one day. While Serena is no where near done competing on the tennis court, she did admit that she would consider staying home with her daughter once she racks up two more Grand Slams. “To be honest, there’s something really attractive about the idea of moving to San Francisco and just being a mom,” she says. “But not yet. Maybe this goes without saying, but it needs to be said in a powerful way: I absolutely want more Grand Slams. I’m well aware of the record books, unfortunately. It’s not a secret that I have my sights on 25.”
  3. She suffered scary complications after giving birth. Serena had her baby via c-section and developed several blood clots in her lungs by the next day. The coughing from the pulmonary embolism led her incision to pop open and she developed a large hematoma in her abdomen.
  4. She dealt with strong emotions postpartum. “Sometimes I get really down and feel like, Man, I can’t do this,” she says. “It’s that same negative attitude I have on the court sometimes. I guess that’s just who I am. No one talks about the low moments—the pressure you feel, the incredible letdown every time you hear the baby cry. I’ve broken down I don’t know how many times. Or I’ll get angry about the crying, then sad about being angry, and then guilty, like, Why do I feel so sad when I have a beautiful baby? The emotions are insane.”
  5. She doesn’t want Alexis to follow in her famous footsteps. “I would hate her to have to deal with comparisons or expectations. It’s so much work, and I’ve given up so much. I don’t regret it, but it’s like Sliding Doors: Go through a different door and lead a different life. I’d like her to have a normal life. I didn’t have that.”
  6. She hates playing against her sister, Venus. “I know how hard she works. I hate playing her because she gets this look on her face where she just looks sad if she’s losing. Solemn. It breaks my heart. So when I play her now, I absolutely don’t look at her, because if she gets that look, then I’ll start feeling bad, and the next thing you know I’ll be losing. I think that’s when the turning point came in our rivalry, when I stopped looking at her.”