Serena Williams Reveals Parenting Olympia Is ‘Not Easy,’ For This Reason

Although balancing work and parenting can be overwhelming, Serena Williams has no regrets.

The champion tennis player shared a photo holding her daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., 2, whom she shares with husband Alexis, on Friday.

“I am not sure who took this picture, but working and being a mom is not easy,” Williams captioned the photo. “I am often exhausted, stressed, and then I go play a professional tennis match. We keep going. I am so proud and inspired by the women who do it day in and day out. I’m proud to be this baby’s mama @olympiaohanian.”

When the 38-year-old athlete isn’t on the court, she’s fighting for women’s rights and equality. Williams recently partnered with Secret deodorant as a brand ambassador to continue her fight for gender equality. As a part of the collaboration, she will be looking at athletic systems from high school to professional levels to spot gender bias, Huff Post reports.

“Just across the board, women’s sports ― whether you’re thinking of tennis or soccer or basketball ― there’s so much space to improve on them,” she said during the interview. “And it’s important to realize that, yeah, we’ve come a long way but we’re not done, and we have a really big way to go.”

Despite the dedication she has to the cause, she recognizes that her motherly duties come first.

“It sounds crazy and it sounds selfish, but you kind of have to be selfish and just focus on you, “ she explained. “And you champion for other things like women’s equality, but when you’re on your own with your kids as a mom, it’s not easy. You have to really sometimes just take time and do what you need to do, what’s best for your family.”

One reason the 23-time championship winner continues to work, despite how easy it could be to transition into a full-time mom, is to create a better future for her daughter.

“I’m thinking inequality, gender,” Williams explained. “Because she is going to be a Black woman, even though she is of mixed race, it’s going to be harder for her. But those are things that I hope won’t be as hard. I mean, it wasn’t as hard for me as it was for my mom, and hopefully then maybe for my daughter, it will be a little less or a lot less.”

“There’ll be some challenges, but I just want to prepare her for that... Because sometimes you go through things and it makes you a better person, it makes you a smarter individual, and you kind of need it,” she added. “And even though it sucks, you just got to do it.”