Daughter in corner for slam record
SERENA Williams “absolutely” intends to surpass Margaret Court’s record of 24 grand slam titles and believes being a new mother can help her achieve that goal.
The 36- year- old, who gave birth to her first daughter Alexis Olympia in September, pulled out of the Australian Open on concerns over her ability to make an impact.
Williams won the last of her 23 grand slams in Australia last year, defeating her sister Venus in the final when, it would later emerge, she was in the early stages of pregnancy.
The American former world No. 1 returned to the court on December 30 at the World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi, where she lost an exhibition match against Jelena Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open champion.
Despite admitting she was “not where I personally want to be” in announcing her withdrawal from the Australian Open, which starts on January 15, Williams told Vogue she was determined to return to a competitive level sooner rather than later.
Williams also revealed she suffered a health scare after giving birth, saying she “spent the first six weeks of motherhood unable to get out of bed” due to blood clots in her lungs.
“Maybe this goes without saying, 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, and actually, I think having a baby might help,” Williams said. “When I’m too anxious I lose matches, and I feel like a lot of that anxiety disappeared when Olympia was born.”