Serena Williams Wins First WTA Tourney As a Mom, Ready For Final Test

Posted on January 14, 2020

Serena Williams has won her first professional tennis tournament as a mom this weekend when she triumphed at the World Tennis Association‘s Auckland Classic on Sunday.

It was 2017 when she last won a WTA title, the Australian Open against her sister and back then, she was weeks pregnant with her now 2-year old daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian, Jr with her husband Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.

This triumph marks her 73rd WTA championship title and also means she has been mounting tournaments for four decades, after capturing her first title in 1999 at the US Open against Martina Hingis.

Williams announced plans to give back to Australia during her winner’s speech.

“I’ve been playing in Australia for over 20 years and it’s been really hard for me to watch all the news and everything that has been happening in Australia with all the fire and… animals and people that have lost their homes,” she said. “I decided at the beginning of the tournament… I’d donate all my prize money for a great cause.”

With this win, she finally silences the naysayers who believe that pregnancy, childbirth and motherhood signal the end of a sportswomen’s career.

Although she is the most accomplished tennis champ since 1968 when the WTA only permitted professionals to compete, she still faces the final hurdle of earning her 25th Grand Slam title in the so called “Open Era” when amateurs were allowed to compete in Grand Slams. Margaret Court holds the record at 24 and ties with Serena at this point.

Williams can do it and in fact Court won three of her major titles after giving birth to her son in 1972.

Other moms have done it too.

Kim Clijsters won three of her 4 Grand Slams after the birth of her child.

Lindsay Davenport won 3 of her 55 Career titles after giving birth to her son.

And Olympic Gold medalist and seven times Grand slam winner, in 1914, Dorothea Lambert Chambers became the first mother to win a Grand Slam crown.

Mothers can do amazing things! Trust and believe!

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Celebrity

Watch Serena Williams’ US Open ‘This Mama Keeps Going’ Chase Ad

Posted on September 8, 2019

Twenty years ago, 23-Times Grand Slam Tennis Champ Serena Williams won her first US Open in 1999 and today longtime sponsor Chase Bank released a compelling ad on TV to commemorate that win as she continues on her post-motherhood journey to capture her 24th Title.

The last championship, she secured at the 2017 Australian Open while 7 weeks pregnant,

Thus, in a full-circle presentation, Chase brilliantly weaves the narratives of her athletic achievement and motherhood into the story of a singular life in the campaign video produced by Australian ad vet David Droga’s firm Droga5.

The advertisement is a continuation of a campaign the bank launched last year called “This Mama Keeps Going” and this time, a short film opens with a visual of a sonogram with background vocals. A reporter congratulating Williams. The video continues with shots of never-before-seen very personal videos and photos from Williams’ pregnancy and in the voiceover, she shares her excitement and struggles.

Interspersed is footage of her daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian, who she welcomed on September 1, 2017 with hubby, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, and as the TV spot focuses in on Williams’ tough sojourn in recovery after a difficult delivery when she suffered from a pulmonary embolism. (Which immediately reminds us of her vocal advocacy for expectant mothers, especially women of color, after birth in the US.),

She didn’t win in today’s US Open Finals though she battled and defeated a lot of excellent players, losing to the younger version of herself, a stellar Canadian upstart, 19-year old Bianca Andreescu, the battle continues.

Through scenes of breastfeeding, pumping and calming a fussy toddler, Williams speaks about the joy of watching a daughter succeed.

Only then does it become clear that her words are from a press conference after her very first Grand Slam win, 20 years ago at the U.S. Open in 1999.

How awesome!!

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Martina Hingis Announces On 38th Birthday That She’s Expecting First Child

Posted on October 1, 2018

We have a tennis baby boom on our hands as former Number 1 Tennis Player Martina Hingis announced on her 38th birthday yesterday that she is expecting her first child.

The Swiss 5-Time Grand Slam winner shared the news on her Instagram account with a photo of a tiny pink US Open tee, a mini tennis racquet and tennis ball, revealing that she is having a baby girl

Hingis and her husband and former physician Harald Leeman married last July.

View this post on Instagram
Thanks for all the birthday wishes! Happy to share that this will be the last time we’ll celebrate as a couple…excited to announce that we will become a family of three!
A post shared by Martina Hingis (@martinahingis80) on Sep 30, 2018 at 6:06am PDT

“Thanks for all the birthday wishes! Happy to share that this will be the last time we’ll celebrate as a couple…excited to announce that we will become a family of three,” she captioned the adorable photo!

Congrats!

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4 Women Who Came Back From Pregnancy to Take Tennis Grand Slam Titles

Posted on January 9, 2018

The naysayers who think pregnancy, childbirth and motherhood signal the end of a fantastic phenomenal sportswomen’s career are wrong. Very wrong.

In fact, a lot of women report the challenge of momhood drives them to try even harder and to best their game, as Tennis.com‘s Ed McGrogan correctly analyzed about Serena Williams‘ likelihood of making a comeback.

“Whether Serena would consider continuing to play as a “challenge,” or something she simply wants to do as a mother, it’s far easier for me to picture her playing again, rather than the alternative,” McGrogan writes.

She would not be the first as several women have done similar — gone from giving birth to go on to beat the field and rise back to the top and earn a Grand Slam title.

The legendary Margaret Court , the pre-Open era woman who has won the most majors, 24, won three majors after giving birth to her son in 1972.

Williams, who has the most since 1968 when professional players were allowed to compete with amateurs, the s0-called Open Era, is chasing Court’s record. With one more Grand Slam Title, she will tie it and with two more she will surpass it. If Williams follows Court’s lead, she will break the record, albeit now is a time when the field of competition is even tougher than ever before.