"I could have had a little Rena running around, she'd have been fun" - When Serena Williams imagined becoming a mother while competing on tour
Serena Williams once contemplated the idea of having a child while she was still competing on tour. The American made the remarks during her campaign at the 2016 Indian Wells Open.
Williams was the top seed at the tournament that year, aiming to win her third title at the WTA 1000 event. After claiming a dominant 6-2, 6-1 win over Laura Siegemund in her opening match, the American defeated Yulia Putintseva 7-6(2), 6-0 to advance to the fourth round.
Amid her tennis success, Serena Williams made time to study for a pre-med degree at the University of Massachusetts, inspired by her sister Venus Williams' struggle with Sjögren’s syndrome. Speaking to the press after her win over Putintseva, she explained that she wanted to learn holistic medicine in order to be prepared for when she had children.
"My goal is premed, but I want to focus on holistic medicine, because I like to heal myself holistically mostly because of what my sister went through," Serena Williams said.
"I just kind of thought, you know, one day I hoped to have a family. I want to know a lot about medicine in case something happens. So definitely not professionally, but just to learn and to have knowledge," she added.
The American was set to face Kateryna Bondarenko, who had a three-year-old daughter, in the fourth round. When asked if she could imagine herself becoming a mother on tour, Williams responded in the affirmative, contemplating the idea of having a "fun" daughter.
"Yeah, I could, actually. I have had time off where I could have had a little Rena running around. (Laughter.) Baby Rena. She'd have been fun. She would like tacos and everything. But, yeah, that didn't happen, so -- it would be good. I haven't played her in a minute. Yeah," she said.
Serena Williams claimed a 6-2, 6-2 win over Bondarenko and went on to reach the 2016 Indian Wells Open final, where she suffered a 6-4, 6-4 loss to Victoria Azarenka.
The American got her wish just a year later, winning her 23rd and final Grand Slam title at the 2017 Australian Open while pregnant with her and husband Alexis Ohanian's first child. The couple welcomed their daughter, Olympia, in September 2017.
"I'm really fortunate" - Serena Williams on balancing her tennis career with parenting her daughter Olympia
In a 2018 interview with NBC News before her first US Open campaign as a mother, Serena Williams candidly discussed how she juggled her tennis career with raising her daughter, Olympia.
The American admitted to being fortunate enough to spend every single day with her daughter, disclosing that she crafted her schedule to best suit Olympia and to give her the best upbringing.
"I am taking it as a gift. We spent every day together since she was born, and I work around her. But I'm really fortunate. A lot of women don't have that opportunity," Serena Williams said
"And, you know, in a weird way I'm kind of doing it for those women that can't. Being around her every day is super important, and I want her to have just a great upbringing, the best way that I know how," she added.
Williams produced a strong campaign at the New York Major, triumphing over Camila Giorgi, Venus Williams, and Simona Halep en route to the final. Naomi Osaka claimed a 6-2, 6-4 victory over the American in the dramatic final, clinching her maiden Grand Slam title.