Serena Williams is without a doubt one of the best tennis players of all time. Williams currently has the most Grand Slam titles in the Open Era and is second in the list of all-time Major winners. However, during the course of her illustrious career, she has faced several challenges and has overcome them every time. The Queen of the Court is an inspiration to all up-and-coming players as well as people who aren’t professional sports stars. Williams married business magnate Alexis Ohanian in 2017. She and Ohanian have a daughter, Olympia Ohanian.

Williams had Olympia in 2017. After the delivery, Williams went through severe medical complications which could have been fatal. However, she didn’t stop fighting and eventually got a clean bill of health.

Serena Williams’ child birth almost resulted in her death

At first, Williams wanted to have Olympia without opting for a c-section. However, the doctor took a look at her and understood that she indeed needed a c-section. Even after the procedure, Williams wasn’t able to breathe a sigh of relief.

She had incessant coughing, which seemed harmless at first. However, danger showed its face soon when the coughing led to her stitches tearing. Williams had to go in for a second surgery, which left her heavily fatigued. Her family was trying to communicate with her, but she felt as though she would never wake up.

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Despite such difficulties, the 23-time Grand Slam champion found the strength to move to a different room so as to not worry her mother.

Serena Williams, being a woman of color, had to save her own life

Williams went through a daunting week after she had the C-section. In her letter to Elle, she relayed the message of the prevalence of differential treatment for pregnant women hailing from different racial backgrounds in the medical field. She added that women of color are three times more likely to die during childbirth simply due to neglect.

She wrote, “In the U.S., Black women are nearly three times more likely to die during or after childbirth than their white counterparts. Many of these deaths are considered by experts to be preventable. Being heard and appropriately treated was the difference between life or death for me; I know those statistics would be different if the medical establishment listened to every Black woman’s experience.”

Williams had to shout several times to call doctors in

After her second surgery, Williams asked her nurse for a heparin drip and a CAT scan. However, her concerns weren’t taken seriously. The nurse felt that the medicines were making her delusional. However, Williams was persistent on the drip and the scan. Eventually, the nurse called for the doctor.

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The scan revealed that Williams had a pulmonary embolism, a blocked artery due to a blood clot. Additionally, she had a hematoma, a collection of blood clots outside her abdomen. Thus began a round of surgeries for Williams.

Despite facing such immense difficulties concerning her health, Serena Williams did make a magnificent comeback to professional tennis after her pregnancy. Although she failed to add to her 23 Grand Slam titles, she left a lasting impression on the sports world, particularly when it comes to women going to their profession after a difficult childbirth.