Serena Williams’ daughter may only be 4 months old — but she already landed her first Vogue cover!
Alexis Olympia Ohanian, Jr., appears on the cover of the February issue with her legendary mom, who posted the cover on Instagram. The sweet photo “brought tears” to her eyes, Serena wrote in the caption.
Motherhood has been a roller coaster for Serena, who welcomed Alexis in September with her husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. The tennis pro opened up about her harrowing medical experience following Alexis' birth.
She had an emergency C-section after her heart rate dropped dangerously low. Then came a slew of postpartum complications and emergency surgeries stemming from her history of blood clots.
Serena is on the mend now physically, but she is still dealing with plenty of emotional ups and downs when it comes to parenting.
“Sometimes I get really down,” she told Vogue. “It’s that same negative attitude I have on the court sometimes. I guess that’s just who I am. No one talks about the low moments — the pressure you feel, the incredible letdown every time you hear the baby cry. I’ve broken down I don’t know how many times. Or I’ll get angry about the crying, then sad about being angry, and then guilty, like, why do I feel so sad when I have a beautiful baby? The emotions are insane.”
At the same time, having a child has helped her feel less stressed about her athletic performance.
“When I’m too anxious I lose matches, and I feel like a lot of that anxiety disappeared when Olympia was born,” she said. “Knowing I’ve got this beautiful baby to go home to makes me feel like I don’t have to play another match.”
That said, she will definitely play again. Though she recently withdrew from the Australian Open, saying she "will need a little more time" to return to top physical shape, she already has her eye on a 25th Grand Slam title, which would break the current world record of 24.
But in the meantime, with her daughter in her life, her attitude toward success has shifted.
“I don’t need the money or the titles or the prestige,” she said. “I want them, but I don’t need them. That’s a different feeling for me.”