Serena Williams and the difficult decision she had to make for her daughters: It was worth it

Serena Williams, who famously won the 2017 Australian Open while pregnant with her first child, made the difficult decision to transition from the sport in order to focus on her family.

Now, nearly three years later, with two daughters and a thriving business empire, Serena is reflecting on what that shift has meant.

In an interview with Time Magazine, Williams admitted the decision still tugs at her heart.

“I miss it a lot, with all my heart,” she said. She emphasized that her continued physical fitness at age 43 makes the yearning stronger. “I miss it because I’m healthy,” she explained. “If I couldn’t walk, or if I was so out of it, I wouldn’t miss it as much.”

From center court to center stage in business and motherhood

Williams‘ athletic condition has remained strong in retirement, which she attributes to not overplaying during her career. That physical readiness occasionally tempts her to imagine a return-especially when legendary comebacks flash through the news cycle.

She recalled the recent passing of boxing icon George Foreman, who reclaimed a title at 45, as a moment that made her pause.

“He was champion at 45,” she noted.

Still, when asked about returning to the tour, she kept it real. A comeback is “highly unlikely” because of her children.

“I just can’t peel myself away from these children,” she said.

Having her second daughter, Adira, soon after stepping away from tennis reaffirmed that her choice was the right one.

“Another reason I had to transition was because I wanted to have more kids. And I look at Adira and I’m like, ‘Was it worth it?’ I literally thought about it the other day. I was like, ‘Yeah, it was definitely worth it,'” she noted.

Since her final match against Ajla Tomljanovic at the 2022 US Open, Serena has embraced motherhood with the same intensity she brought to the court.

“I’m a wonderful mom,” she said proudly. “I think we, as women, don’t give ourselves credit, but I’m a great mom. I really am. I do everything. I’m freaking the room mom at Olympia’s school this year.”