Serena Williams is one of the toughest athletes and she has proven it again and again.. She is an ace in terms of both physical and mental strength. Though one thing that pushed her to the edge was childbirth. The 23 times Grand Slam champion who is always calm and composed, found herself tied in knots when she was about to deliver her daughter, Olympia.

Engulfed by pain, tension, and fear, Williams was looking for every possible way to bring her daughter to the world safely. However, some complications worsened the situation. Here’s how she and Olympia survived the night.

Serena Williams details the problems she faced during her labour

Williams has inspired many and is among the figures who will shoulder the responsibility of shaping the coming generation. Therefore, her story of bravely fighting the odds at the doorstep of motherhood holds a lot of value. As it not only portrays what women go through, but also showcases how strong they are.

She shared, “The contractions were coming harder and faster. With each one, my baby’s heart rate plummeted. I was scared. I thought I should probably get an epidural, but I was still okay with the work, so I didn’t.”

Thereafter, the former World no.1 spoke about the insoluble dilemma. Every time the baby’s heart rate dropped, the nurses would come in and tell me to turn onto my side. The baby’s heart rate would go back up and everything seemed fine.”

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“I’d have another contraction, and baby’s heart rate would drop again, but I’d turn over and the rate would go back up, and so on and so forth.” She added. Williams welcomed her daughter on 1st September 2017 by showing immense strength during childbirth, and now the five-year-old acts as the biggest cheerleader of the legendary tennis professional.

Williams says goodbye

The six times champion decided to bid farewell and start the second set of her life after testing her skills in the home Grand Slam for one last time. She entered the US Open, riding high on fans’ cheers and support. Though she only made to the third round owing to the lost form.

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Williams took down Montenegrin professional, Danka Kovinić, in the first round and surprised everyone in the second. The 40-year-old outclassed the world no.2 and the second seed of the event Anett Kontaveit in sets of 7-6 (4) 2-6 6-2. Thereafter came the final match of her career. She lost her position in the last 16 to Australian Ajla Tomljanović and, with teary eyes, said goodbye.