"For women it was either-or, now Serena proved you can have both" - Martina Navratilova on how Serena Williams paved the way for mothers to shine as athletes
Serena Williams continues to inspire, not just by virtue of the staggering number of wins that she notched up during her career but by also being a trendsetter who challenges the status quo.
Williams' decision to continue playing tennis while pregnant and also after motherhood has been lauded by Martina Navratilova, who feels more women will now do the same thanks to the 23-time Grand Slam champion.
Tennis great Martina Navratilova thinks more women will continue to play professional tennis after having children – thanks largely to Serena Williams cnn.it/3McNXfu
Over the course of an interview with CNN en Español, Navratilova stressed that in the past women had to choose between tennis and being a mother. But thanks to Serena Williams, they can now pursue tennis and motherhood simultaneously.
“For women it was either-or, but now Serena proved you can have both," Navratilova said. "There are plenty of other mothers on the tour who have done really well. The biggest reason we didn’t see it – there are a couple – the care wasn’t there, the money wasn’t there, and also women just chose to have babies and then they didn’t come back. But now I think Serena kind of paved the way for motherhood and to still be an athlete. I think you will see more and more women playing well into their 30s, maybe into their 40s.”
The 18-time Grand Slam winner also reckons that the current generation of players will play better quality tennis and prolong their careers due to improved care in the areas of physical and mental health.
“With the money that’s in tennis, people can take better care of themselves. Most of all, with the knowledge that we have about how to take care of our bodies much better – that will prolong players’ careers," Navratilova continued. "Maybe (players will) not play as much every year but play longer and better quality as well. The care is there, the mental health, all of that is being addressed now much better than it was in my day.”
"It used to be just Europe and English-speaking countries for the most part" - Martina Navratilova credits Serena Williams for making the game more diverse
Serena Williams became the first African American woman to win a Grand Slam title in the Open Era when she reigned supreme at the 1999 US Open.
In an interview with wtatennis.com, Navratilova reckoned that Williams' first win at the New York Major inspired more people of color to take up the sport.
"I mean, look how much more diversity we have in the game today. It’s fantastic. It used to be just Europe and English-speaking countries for the most part," the 65-year-old stated.
Before Venus, Serena, or Naomi I made tennis history. With my historic victory at the Avon Championships of Detroit 40 years ago, on February 8, 1981, I became the first black woman to win a major tournament since Althea Gibson in 1958-- At the time it was THE story in tennis. https://t.co/zmORutdNkV
Recalling how Althea Gibson, the first African American to win a Grand Slam, was not allowed to use the regular locker room, Navratilova stated that Williams "blew through the door" that acted as a color barrier.
"Althea wasn’t allowed to use the regular locker room, so we’ve come a long way," she added. "Let’s put it this way: Serena not only pushed the color barrier. She just blew through that door."
Serena Williams announced her decision to "evolve away" from tennis after the US Open earlier this year.