[Sports]
Focused–Serena Williams. Photo-Wikimedia
Since Serena Williams accidentally announced her pregnancy back in April, she has been off the courts when it comes to competitive tennis. But not off the courts completely, as a video of on her Twitter was released over the weekend showing her practicing her return serves. At seven months pregnant, Serena, it seems, has enough energy to continue her passionate pursuit of the sport.
Serena has been ranked number one in the world in singles by the Woman’s Tennis Association seven times, and even after an extended absence during her pregnancy, she still stands at number four in the rankings.
If there was ever an athlete to inspire us all, Serena Williams is one of the finest. The fact that she won the Australian Open back in January when she was eight weeks pregnant is proof of that. And this was before the news became public knowledge. She ended up beating Venus, of all people, by straight sets to win her 23rd Grand Slam title. Since her pregnancy was announced, Serena hasn’t seemed to have slowed down much, and has been seen in Monaco, at Beyoncé’s push party, and most recently, showing the world that she still aims to get back on the courts.
Serena Williams’ absence from major tennis tournaments has left the competition wide open, including the upcoming Wimbledon women’s singles in which she was the firm favorite to win. Karolina Pliskova is now the favorite to win. On the men’s side, Andy Murray is the current favorite to win the men’s singles on BetStars.
There is a lot of speculation around when Serena will return to the courts, but according to her coach Patrick Mouratoglou, it could be as soon as the Australian Open in January. This means she could be back on the courts within months of Serena Williams having given birth. Only three women in the history of tennis have come back to win a major after giving birth, and none of them have been over 31 years old. The most recent woman to win a major after pregnancy was Kim Clijsters, who won three of her four grand slam titles following her return.
Serena Williams will be 36 by the time she can consider coming back next year. But Mouratoglou says, “There is no rule that you can apply to Serena. She has a body that is not anybody’s body. She has a will that is also completely unusual. She is one of a kind.” If there is anyone who can do it, Serena Williams can. She is without a doubt a superstar, identified by Forbes as being the highest paid female athlete in the world with $28.9 million, and has proven time and time again, both on and off the court, what she is made of. As the former number one ranked Davenport puts it, “Serena is like superwoman.”
If Serena returns for the Australian Open, it will be a chance for her to set her sights on her 24th Grand Slam victory, beating the Court’s record. There is little doubt about whether Serena will be physically fit enough to continue her tennis career after giving birth. The only question is whether she can handle the emotional strain of juggling the two. Whatever the case, Serena Williams is an inspiration to us all.
