A 27-year-long career ended with 23 Grand Slam titles – one more than Steffi Graf and one short of Margaret Court – makes for quite a story. That’s quite an extraordinary achievement for any tennis player in the world. But when it comes to one of the Greatest Of All Time in the sport, expectations tend to creep on and on. Even after winning so much silverware in her career, Serena Williams perhaps didn’t like the way it ended. She sought to achieve much more but fell just a little short. Now, the person who represented her for over 20 years has spoken up about the challenges that the younger Williams sister faced on her postpartum return to tennis.

Jill Smoller, a 59-year-old American sports agent and a former professional tennis player feels for Serena. She said Serena has been on a ‘complete disaster’ run ever since 2017. But why?

Former agent of Williams shares The Queen of the Court’s struggles

Serena’s illustrious tennis career undoubtedly declined upon her return to the court after giving birth for the first time. Olympia was born on September 1, 2017 at St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach Florida. But what was a happy moment for Williams off the court turned into a disaster on it. Serena’s final Grand Slam win came when she was 8 weeks pregnant after defeating Venus Williams in the Australian Open, in 2017. By the time 2018 rolled around, her magic touch was already missing. Jill Smoller observed the evolution closely.

Smoller, her longtime representative, believes that Serena Williams faces more individual pressure than anyone else in the sport. Why? Well, for starters, she’s not only a sportsperson but a global icon for America. She added. “Anything but winning wasn’t enough you look back at (winning) 4 Grand Slam finals post-baby, (it) would be spectacular for anybody. But for her, a complete disaster.“

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Serena Williams came close to the finish line of a whopping four Grand Slams after her comeback, something which she must surely be proud of. But with Serena and Venus Williams, fans and audiences could never be contented with final appearances – close encounters as they were each time.

Serena Williams: A comeback from a life-threatening pregnancy

Serena won her first title after becoming a mother at the ASB Classic in Auckland after defeating Jessica Pegula (6-3,6-4). It was not a Grand Slam title indeed, but looking at the situation she was in at that time, it was an enormous achievement. The 42-year-old Olympic gold medalist finally retired in September 2022. The moment came as a sigh of relief came for her and her fans in New Zealand. After all, a string of unexpected defeats lay looming close in the past few months.

Williams lost to Angelique Kerber at Wimbledon in 2018. She faced a similar fate at the hands of Naomi Osaka in the US Open finals the same year. In 2019, yet again, she lost to the Canadian youngster Bianca Andreescu in the US Open following her defeat in the finals of Wimbledon to Simona Halep. But her story is still never one of loss; the former World No.1 battled for her life.

Serena Wiliams faced several complications during and after giving birth, which threatened her very life. It also made recovery a difficult uphill road to navigate. Despite suffering from postpartum depression, she mounted an imminent comeback and donated the prize money from the Auckland tournament to the Australian bushfire relief efforts. Since then, life has taken her off the beaten track, as she made the decision to evolve away from the court.

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