Considering how she seemed somewhat off her game last weekend, this isn’t a huge surprise. Serena Williams is not going to play in the Australian Open this month. She just gave birth to Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. on September 1st – in what was reportedly a difficult birth – but she always maintained that she would be coming back to Melbourne this year to defend her title. Serena put a brave face on the announcement:
Serena Williams’ decision on whether or not to defend her Australian Open title four months after giving birth to her first child was never about merely being able to play at Melbourne Park. The seven-time Australian Open champion confirmed Thursday she wouldn’t attempt to defend the title she won there last year, saying she wasn’t completely sure she could win it.
Williams played in an exhibition tournament last weekend in Abu Dhabi and indicated after her loss to French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko that she might not travel to Melbourne.
“After competing in Abu Dhabi I realized that although I am super close, I’m not where I personally want to be,” Williams said in a statement. “My coach and team always said, ‘Only go to tournaments when you are prepared to go all the way.’ I can compete — but I don’t want to just compete, I want to do far better than that and to do so, I will need a little more time. With that being said, and even though I am disappointed about it, I’ve decided not to compete in the Australian Open this year.”
I watched her Abu Dhabi exhibition, and I honestly just thought she seemed a bit rusty and tired, which was perfectly understandable. Like, she was still producing some great shots, the serve was still basically there, and the biggest problem was that she just didn’t seem to be as fast as she usually is. My guess is that she’ll make her “comeback” at the Miami Open, her “home tournament,” and a tournament she’s won about a million times. Then she’ll probably play a few clay tournaments, compete at the French Open, then she’ll rest and be 100% for Wimbledon. That’s my prediction: Serena will win Wimbledon this year.
As for the Australian Open… I’m excited and a little bit sad. The men’s side is like the walking wounded – Stan Wawrinka says he’ll play but he’s still recovering from knee surgery. Andy Murray and Kei Nishikori have pulled out with injuries. Rafa Nadal’s knees are still struggling, and he pulled out of Brisbane (the tune-up, which is happening right now). My guess is the Djokovic will be pulling out at any moment too. My prediction: Grigor Dimitrov, Roger Federer, David Goffin and Juan Martin del Potro all make it to the semifinals. Because why not? On the women’s side, with Serena out… who do you have? Not Garbi Muguruza, she hates to play in Australia. Maybe Karolina Pliskova? Or Venus Williams. You’ve gotta think that Venus has a good shot.
Photos courtesy of Getty.
You think? Why does she feel like she has to prove anything to anyone? That’s why I’ll never be the goat of anything. Because I’d be like, I need to rest for a while and enjoy my baby, I’m rich, I’m famous, and I already beat everyone, so see you all later.
Honestly, I think that’s exactly what she’s saying. I mean, she gave it a shot, realized it wasn’t in her to kill it in tennis right now because with a brand new baby, her focus — and her body’s focus — are elsewhere for the time being. I love that she’s seeing that and accepting it so gracefully. Makes me love her all the more.
All of tennis is in a bit of a funk at the moment with half the ATP out injured and Serena and Azarenka taking time out to have babies, Sharapova being banned for doping and Kvitova forced out of the game for a while because of her knife attack. The most recognisable players aren’t able to play their best and its hurting the game. Hopefully 2019 will provide some much needed stability for the game.
Who would fault her if she decided to retire? Sweet Jesus, that woman owns every title and I know we’re all supposed to come roaring back from pregnancy and childbirth like it isn’t a huge physiological, emotional, spiritual and physical event, but…. take your time, Serena. It’s not like you were barely an okay player, you crushed it for years.
Amen. She has more than earned a little more rest. I’m guessing she underestimated just how massive the toll childbirth could or would be on her body, even for an elite athlete at peak physical shape. Wishing her peace and joy with her family.
No one would, but she’s the only one who set this timeline and put pressure on herself. When she announced her pregnancy everyone assumed she would be retiring or at least out for 2018. No one was suggesting she should hurry up and bounce back.
Exactly, no one said “SERENA, YOU MUST COME BACK!” She’s the one who said she wanted to come back, sooner rather than later.
I kind of meant it rhetorically, but yeah.
Having a child can take a lot out of you, despite the media representation that suggests we should be able to bounce back into our original pants size and lifestyle after a month. I don’t doubt her body is still catching up its professional athlete status. She knows what it takes, and I’m sure she’ll come back when she feels fit again.
Little discussed fact: it is extremely difficult for female athletes to compete at the same levels after having babies. I can see why many put kids off for as long as possible.
Kim Clijsters was more successful after having a baby. She literally won a slam in her second tournament back or something ridiculous like that. I think Clijsters post-pregnancy success has become a heavy burden for these new WTA mothers. Players like Serena and Azarenka believe they can waltz back in and pick up where they left off because Clijsters was able to do it but its a very diffucult thing to do.
Just looked her up. She’s the only woman to have won more titles after having children than before!
its kind of like when Heidi Klum walked in the VS fashion show only weeks after birth. The pressure to snap back to your previous self immediately after birth is insane.
Yes, I think we forget that women grow then expell an actual human from inside their bodies. In our rush to be super women and be “just as productive as men”, as if growing an entire person inside us isn’t productive, we have begun to treat pregnancy and birth like just another chore to be completed so we can get back to work. It takes its toll and we don’t want to admit it. To our own loss. Because we gain more than we loose in the experience.
Perfectly stated Aang.
I can’t possibly agree more Aang!! Being pregnant require your body to do an enormous amount of work and most women also do some sort of job/work while pregnant and then we expect to do even more work after the birth. Let’s all cut ourselves lots of slack here 🙂
Well, it’s not just the physical impact, it’s also the emotional labor. Children are exhausting, even with help. If you want to be at all involved, it’s going to take time out of your day that you might have previously dedicated to training.
That is more of a reflection of women athletes putting off starting a family until the tail end of their career, though. Having a baby takes you out for a significant period of time, and most elite women athletes don’t want to do that in the prime of their careers.
Svitolina has come roaring out of the gates this season. Don’t count her out. Over on the men’s side, it’s Fed and . . your guess is as good as any. Zverev or Kyrgios, maybe?
Zverev can’t play in slams yet, honestly. I don’t think he’s mentally strong enough for 5-setters. Kyrgios… maybe. But he never plays well at home.
I agree on both counts. But this tournament will be so odd, they may go deep in spite of themselves. (Wait, Zverev just lost to Kokkinakis. Nevermind.)
Having a baby is HARD……not even the labor or C-Section so much but what it does to you after. I feel like I am was in outer body experience for the first 3 years of my daughter’s life. I just couldn’t get it together.
She’s Superwoman, but I kind of thought it was too soon even for Superwoman, after having a baby. She seems to be enjoying being a mommy and wife and having a great time. I want her to come back a hundred percent and show them who is still the Queen on the courts. Come back when you are ready, Serena. We will patiently wait.
On the women’s side I see Svitolina,Sevastova,Görges,Woz,CoCo and maybe Siniaková.The men’s side is a little trickier. Nick I could see if he’s healthy,Roger,Grigor,and Delpo.I also see some of the youngins like Shapovalov,Rublev,Kokkinakis,Tsitsipas,De Minaur,Mmoh making some fun runs.
I think Coco could make another deep run, and I agree that Wozniacki has been in really good form. I still think Venus could be a big contender, she seems to save her best tennis for the Slams nowadays.
My only reservation is that Venus gets to the finals but than runs out of gas so to speak.Wimbledon and the WTA Finals kinda show that.Also I don’t think she even won a title last year. I will say though that as much as I love Simona she makes Woz and Safina,and even Jankovic look like Evert and Navratilova…Simona only won ONE title last year.
I have to admit, I’m personally disappointed, because I love to watch Serena play and crush people! But that’s just me being selfish.
When I think about it as a decent human being, I hope Serena takes all the time she needs to be with her baby and her family and get back to where she feels comfortable playing. Motherhood is a big deal and she’s smart to wait and find her balance again.
Serena was always completely unrealistic in her goal to come back to major competition. Having a baby and recovering and having your body parts return to where they’re supposed to go takes time. It’s fine that she needs it, I just wish that we discussed it more what actually happens to women’s bodies theough this process instead of just talking about how much weight they’ve gained or lost, which is just a fraction of the picture.
This. Going along with the expectation of near-immediate weight loss is the presumption all your parts also go back to normal near-immediately. For some lucky women maybe they do, but I could barely walk normally for several months after my first. For many women it’s a process, even for those in tremendous physical condition like Serena, and takes time. I too wish there would be more conversations and portrayals in popular media of what can be the more challenging reality.
She can take all the time she needs. She’s a magnificent athlete and I look forward to her return. It’s a challenge after kids, but she and many other women can do so on timetables that work for them, and not what the general consensus thinks.
You are a momma, you are the greatest of all time, you have nothing to prove.
Excuse me, can we please talk about biology for a second? She’s not “rusty,” she had a baby FOUR MONTHS AGO. Even FOURTEEN MONTHS is not a crazy amount of time to take to regain your body and ability post-partum. She’s not in her 20s any more, and even if she was, people don’t really bounce back like that, it’s not even healthy to try. Your uterus needs to recover, you’re making milk, your organs haven’t even returned to their original place in your torso, you’re lucky if you can serve dinner, let alone a tennis ball, no matter how fit you are. And this is not even counting the emotional void it leaves to be separated from a newborn enough hours to train for a tennis match. People want to pretend having a baby is nothing but that’s bullshit.