Motherhood has compelled Serena Williams to view her present and future through a distinct lens. After giving birth to a girl last September—who she and her husband, Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of the social news aggregation website Reddit, named Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr.—Williams is keenly cognizant that the end of her legendary tennis career is nearing. Not suddenly, but certainly creeping up as she enters her late 30s.
The 36-year-old, 23-time Grand Slam singles champion still has more thrilling moments to provide the sports world. Some could come at the French Open, which begins this Sunday. Williams has three French singles tournament titles on her resume and one more would place her just another Grand Slam championship victory away from surpassing Margaret Court for the most ever by a man or woman. Court, whose playing days spanned from 1960 to 1977, holds the record at 24.
“Maybe this goes without saying,” Williams expressed in an interview with Vogue magazine in January. “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.”
Williams stated to the magazine the presence of her baby, who she calls Olympia, could be a moving force in helping her reaching that goal. “Actually, I think having a baby might help,” she said. “When I’m too anxious I lose matches, and I feel like a lot of that anxiety disappeared when Olympia was born. Knowing I’ve got this beautiful baby to go home to makes me feel like I don’t have to play another match. I don’t need the money or the titles or the prestige. I want them, but I don’t need them. That’s a different feeling for me.”
After a medically challenging pregnancy and the birth of Olympia, Williams experienced a pulmonary embolism, a blood clot in the lung, which made it difficult for her to breathe. In 2011, after slipping on a piece a glass in Germany and requiring foot surgery, Williams suffered bilateral pulmonary embolisms, clots in both lungs, which kept her out of tennis for nearly a full year.
Her path to the French Open championship on the iconic red clay of Roland Garros Stadium in Paris will be perilous. When she began her pregnancy hiatus from the game 16 months ago—she returned in March for a few matches—Williams was the No. 1 ranked women’s player in the world. Today, she is No. 453. As a result, Williams is likely to face some of the top players in the early rounds, such as the current No. 1, Simona Halep of Romania, No. 2 ranked Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark or perhaps older sister Venus, who holds the No. 9 spot.
Nevertheless, regardless of her showing, Williams, an enlightened new mother, will simply be pleased to be back doing what she has done better than any woman in history.