Daughter’s birthday adds to Serena’s task
new york — Serena Williams’ return to the US Open for the first time since becoming a mother will be an emotional experience, not least because her daughter AlexisOlympia’s first birthday is right in the middle of the tournament.
Serena will have the fans firmly behind her in New York and the 36-year-old is also the favourite to win a 24th Grand Slam title and equal Australian Margaret Court’s record haul after the American’s run to this year’s Wimbledon final.
The No. 17 seed has spoken openly about the challenges she has faced trying to combine being a mum and a professional tennis player, and 18-times Grand Slam winner Chris Evert says Serena must find a way to channel her emotions on court.
“To turn the switch on and off (between being a tennis player and a mother) is very difficult, and that’s what Serena’s trying to navigate,” Evert, who will be part of ESPN’s coverage of the US Open in New York, said on a conference call.
“She’s never had this nurturing feeling... before. It doesn’t switch on and off. Even if it’s not consciously there when she’s on court, it’s in the back of her mind and it will creep in once in a while because she’s not a robot.”
Serena’s first tournament after Wimbledon ended in the heaviest defeat of her career when she was thrashed 6-1 6-1 by Britain’s Johanna Konta in San Jose and the six-times US Open champion also made an early exit in Cincinnati this month. —