WTA: Serena Williams on her comeback: “I’m doing it all for me”

Serena Williams talked about her pregnancy in an extensive interview. The 36-year-old told what she had to look out for on her way to the 2017 Australian Open title, why she fights intensively in the gym before her matches and how she deals with critics.

Williams also spoke at InStyle about her further family planning and what is the most difficult part of her comeback. Serena Williams on…

… the Australian Open 2017 as a pregnant woman: “The draw was tough. I thought,’Okay, that’s it for the first round. After all, this is the first time I’ve had a really good excuse.’ I talked to my doctor about pulling out. Can I hurt the baby if I play? She said it wasn’t a problem, just to watch the heat. The organizers were surprised, I had never asked for an early match.”

… more children: “If I didn’t work, I would have been pregnant again long ago. Everything went so easily, until shortly after the birth.”

… her body after pregnancy: “I am still breastfeeding Olympia. Before matches I have to do a little workout in the gym, because my breasts are so big. “If I do a few exercises, they get one or two sizes smaller, then I can go out and play.”

… dealing with critics: “It’s either about my body or something else. I always felt the urge to be softer and apologize for who I am. Until I reached a point where everything changed. I realized there was nothing wrong with me, I understand who I am.”

… the great challenge of returning to the top: “I see myself as a mental, but above all as a physical player. You can’t do a sport if you’re not physically ready. There are records I want to break, but everything in its time. I feel the pressure to be Serena. But I try as best I can to tell myself that I have to be nothing and nobody. I’m doing this all for myself.”

Click here for the entire interview worth reading.