How mom Serena fought depression
Tennis ace Serena Williams, who hogged the limelight with her eye-catching Black Panther-inspired black catsuit on her return to French Open, has revealed her struggles with depression following the birth of her daughter, Olympia.
The US tennis star had a tough time delivering her first child with husband Alexis Ohanian in September last year. She was forced to undergo an emergency caesarean and a surgery was performed to remove blood clots in her lungs during the childbirth.
Williams’ troubles didn’t end there, though. She had to fight with postnatal depression in the coming months before returning to tennis court for the first time at the Fed Cup in North Carolina in February.
“Honestly, sometimes I think I still have to deal with it. I think people have to talk about it more because it’s almost like the fourth trimester, it’s part of the pregnancy,” she said in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, an American women’s fashion magazine.
Serena, who had earlier admitted that she nearly died while giving birth, said it was a very tough period of her life and there were days when she cried.
“I remember one day, I couldn’t find Olympia’s bottle and I got so upset I started crying because I wanted to be perfect for her.”
Despite the ordeal that she went through, Williams is now ready to have another child.
“If I wasn’t playing tennis, I’d be pregnant right now - sorry, I’m one of those women. I’ve been injured so many times, and played on it, my body is used to adjusting.
“Olympia needs a little sister, and then we can have a boy. I’ve only been around girls my whole life,” the 36-year-old said.
Serena Williams will continue to wear her striking, all-black catsuit in her French Open second round clash on Thursday despite questions raised over whether or not it breaks the rules over appropriate on-court playing gear. It was her catsuit which she said made her feel like a “super hero” and a “warrior princess” with a nod to it being inspired by the “Black Panther” movie blockbuster.
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