‘At the Bottom of the Pool..’ – When Serena Williams Felt Envious of Roger Federer Having Two Sets of Twins

Going through her tennis career, Serena Williams has had many remarkable years on the WTA tour. However, coming off-court, the year 2017 remains close to her heart for her personal life. In 2017, Serena gave birth to her daughter Olympia and married her long-time beau, Alexis Ohanian. Five years later, Williams recently announced her retirement from tennis to focus on growing her family.

Even since her retirement announcement, a long-standing debate about gender differentiation has taken center stage. Taking note of the debate, Serena once felt envious of her male counterpart, Roger Federer, for having two sets of twins.

Serena Williams draws comparison with Roger Federer

Months after the birth of her daughter, Olympia, in January 2018, Serena Williams had a candid conversation with the lifestyle magazine, VOGUE. During the conversation, she expressed her views on how a male player having a child is different from a female player in terms of their careers.

Taking the example of Roger Federer, she started by asserting, “It’s so unfair.”

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Going back in time to 2009, Roger Federer had twin daughters, Charlene Riva Federer, and Myla Rose Federer, with his wife Mirka. Five years later, in 2014, he had another set of twins, Leo Federer and Lenny Federer.

How did having children affect Serena and Federer’s time on the tour

Looking at the stats, in 2009, Roger Federer played the entire season, winning four singles titles, and finishing the year as World No.1. Similarly, in 2014, he also played the entire season, winning five singles titles, and finishing the year as World No.2.

On the other hand, in 2017, owing to her pregnancy, Serena played just two tournaments in January, missing the rest of the season. Going further, she also missed the first two months of 2018 before finally making a comeback in March.

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Disappointed by the difference, Serena asserted, “He (Roger Federer) produced four babies and barely missed a tournament.” “I can’t even imagine where I’d be with twins right now. Probably at the bottom of the pool,” she further added.

What do you think about gender playing an important part in a player’s career? Do let us know in the comments below.