Tennis superstar Serena Williams put out a moving message for mothers after her loss at Wimbledon: "I was playing for you today," she said with tears in her eyes. Williams struggled to find her range against Angelique Kerber at Wimbledon and went down 3-6, 3-6 in 65 minutes to end a runner up. This was a tournament where Serena was in the spotlight for more than her tremendous game. It was her fourth tournament since the birth of her daughter Olympia in September. The delivery was followed by complications and more surgery. It was certainly a strong comeback marked by some stand out moments. Here is a look at why we love Serena Williams even more.
1. She battled against health issues and put up a bold show
Serena suffered from birth complications during her delivery. She underwent surgery and battled for months before regaining normal health.
We just wanted her to survive—10 months later, she’s in the #Wimbledon final - Serena's husband
In a moving message, her husband Ohanian said Serena is “just getting started” after the loss, highlighting the critical surgery after the daughter’s birth. “Days after our baby girl was born, I kissed my wife goodbye before surgery and neither of us knew if she would be coming back,” he wrote sharing Williams’ photo. “We just wanted her to survive—10 months later, she’s in the #Wimbledon final,” the message read. Ending on an encouraging note that said, “@serenawilliams will be holding a trophy again”.
2. She accepted defeat with grace
“It was such an amazing tournament for me,” said Williams, who now moves to number 28 in the rankings right after the Wimbledon results. "I didn’t know a couple of months ago where I was, and so these two weeks have shown me I can really compete and be a contender to win Grand Slams. This is literally just the beginning. I took a giant step at Wimbledon but my journey has just begun.” Williams said she had been happy to simply get to the final so soon into her comeback, adding: "It is obviously a disappointment but I can't be disappointed. I'm literally getting started."
3. She dedicated her performance to all mothers
Williams told mothers that she was playing for them at Wimbledon and they can achieve whatever they want to if they choose to return to work after having a child. “For all the mums out there, I was playing for you today, I tried,” Williams said.
4. She managed work with family
Serena Williams was busy training for Wimbledon in London when her 10-month-old daughter, Alexis Olympia, took her first steps. Upset about missing the event, the 36-year-old tennis star took to Twitter to express her sadness. In her tweet, she wrote, “She took her first steps… I was training and missed it. I cried.” Other working mothers resonated with her and she received a lot of tweets in support.
5. She displays the true spirit of sport
In her post match speech, she appreciated Angelique for her brilliant performance. She said, “I’m just me, that’s all I can be. Angelique played really well. It was really good and I’m looking forward to continue being out here."
“She’s an incredible person and a good friend, I’m really happy for her and I hope she can enjoy this moment.”
“It’s obviously disappointing but I can’t be disappointed. There’s so much to look forward to. It was such an amazing tournament for me. I was really happy to get this far", she added.
6. She shows gratitude to fans
She has time and again shown her gratitude to her fans. She has extended her love to all her fans for supporting her throughout her journey.
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