TALK ABOUT BALANCING WORK AND MOTHERHOOD AND HOW SHE ANSWERS
HER CRITICS.
HER CRITICS. >> SERENA, WELCOME BACK TO NEW
YORK.
YORK. I LIKE TO SAY NEW YORKERS GO
BIG.
BIG. YOU GO BIGGER.
THIS WEEK ALONE, YOUR DAUGHTER
TURNS 1, AND THE U.S. OPEN
STARTS.
STARTS. >> IT’S BEEN AN AMAZING YEAR.
HAVING THE BABY AND THEN COMING
BACK.
BACK. IT’S SO SPECIAL TO HAVE OLYMPIA
TURN 1 SOON, YOU KNOW.
MAYBE I’LL BE PLAYING ON THAT
DAY, AND I’LL HAVE THE MEMORIES
OF BEING IN THE HOSPITAL AND
GIVING BIRTH TO MY DAUGHTER.
DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK.
>> YOU ELOQUENTLY STOLE A LINE
FROM L.L. COOL J AND SAID, DON’T
CALL IT A COMEBACK.
WHY?
WHY? >> I WAS GONE, OBVIOUSLY.
TECHNICALLY, I GUESS IT IS A
COMEBACK, IF YOU BREAK IT DOWN.
FOR ME, I WAS ALWAYS THERE
MENTALLY.
MENTALLY. I WAS ALWAYS WATCHING AND BEING
A PART OF IT.
I NEVER WANTED TO HANG UP MY
RACKET AT THAT POINT.
I’M STILL TRYING TO COMPETE AND
WIN GRAND SLAMS AND, MOST OF
ALL, DO IT WHILE I HAVE A
DAUGHTER.
DAUGHTER. >> DOES IT SHOW HOW TOUGH PEOPLE
ARE ON WOMEN?
I’M GUESSING WHEN YOUR HUSBAND
WENT BACK TO WORK AFTER OLYMPIA
WAS BORN, NO ONE CALLED IT A
COMEBACK TOUR FOR HIM.
HE WENT BACK TO WORK.
>> EXACTLY, RIGHT?
ISN’T THAT WEIRD?
IT IS TRUE.
NO ONE CALLED HIS WORK A
COMEBACK.
COMEBACK. HE HAD TO TAKE TIME OFF, TOO.
WOMEN DEFINITELY HAVE A DOUBLE
STANDARD IN SO MANY DIFFERENT
THINGS.
THINGS. >> FOR YOU, IS IT MORE IMPORTANT
TO WIN AS A MOTHER THAN IT WAS
BEFORE?
BEFORE? YOU’VE GOT EVEN MORE DOUBTERS.
>> YOU KNOW, IT IS HARD TO SAY.
IT IS HARD TO SAY.
FOR ME, I WANT TO WIN, WHETHER
I’M A MOM OR NOT.
OBVIOUSLY, I WANT TO WIN WHILE
HAVING OLYMPIA AND SAY THAT ONE
DAY, I’LL TELL HER, YOU KNOW,
SHE WAS BORN, AND I STILL KEPT
WINNING.
WINNING. AT THE SAME TIME, I DON’T HAVE
TO WIN ANOTHER MATCH IN MY WHOLE
LIFE.
LIFE. I’VE DONE SO MUCH IN MY CAREER.
RIGHT NOW, I WANT TO JUST FOCUS
ON HAVING FUN OUT THERE.
IRONICALLY ENOUGH, THAT’S WHEN I
PLAY MY BEST TENNIS.
>> MOST OF US WOULD HAVE GUESSED
GIVEN YOUR TRAINING AND TRAVEL
SCHEDULE, YOU WOULD NOT HAVE
YOUR BABY BY YOUR SIDE, BUT YOU
HAVE.
HAVE. YOU’RE NOT TAKING IT AS A
BURDEN.
BURDEN. YOU’RE TAKING IT AS A GIFT.
>> I AM TAKING IT AS A GIFT.
WE’VE SPENT EVERY DAY TOGETHER
SINCE SHE WAS BORN.
I WORK AROUND HER.
I’M REALLY FORTUNATE.
A LOT OF WOMEN DON’T HAVE THAT
OPPORTUNITY.
OPPORTUNITY. I FEEL THAT SINCE I DO, AND I
CAN KIND OF DO MY OWN SCHEDULE,
THAT I WANT TO SPEND THAT TIME
WITH MY BABY, AS WELL.
>> SOMETIMES YOU WORRY THAT
YOU’RE NOT GOING TO BE A GOOD
MOM.
MOM. ALL OF US HAVE THAT FEAR.
WITH YOU, EVERYTHING YOU’VE EVER
DONE, YOU’RE EXCELLENT AT.
IT’S ABOUT PEAK PERFORMANCE.
WHEN IT COMES TO MOTHERHOOD,
THERE’S NO TITLES, THERE’S NO
MANUAL.
MANUAL. WHO IS GUIDING YOU THROUGH THIS?
>> WELL, IT IS INTERESTING.
I HAVE MY MOM.
SHE’S HAD FIVE KIDS.
THAT’S REALLY COOL.
WHAT I THINK IS SUPER
INTERESTING IS THE FACT THAT I
RELY ON EVERYONE ELSE.
I THINK IN THIS AGE OF SOCIAL
MEDIA, IT PRESENTS A DIFFERENT
OPPORTUNITY.
OPPORTUNITY. WHEN I’M FEELING DOWN OR FEELING
STRESSED, I LITERALLY WILL WRITE
ABOUT IT.
ABOUT IT. I GET THE MOST IMPRESSIVE
FEEDBACK AND HELP.
I FEEL LIKE I’M GETTING SO MUCH
HELP FROM ALL THE MOMS AND DADS,
BY THE WAY, AND PARENTS OUT
THERE.
THERE. WHEN I MISSED OLYMPIA’S WALKING,
I POSTED ABOUT IT, AND SO MANY
PARENTS WROTE IN AND SAID, DON’T
WORRY ABOUT IT.
I MISSED IT, TOO.
I DIDN’T REALIZE THAT IT WAS
ALMOST MORE NORMAL TO MISS IT
THAN TO MAKE IT.
>> HERE YOU ARE AT THE U.S. OPEN
WITH SO MANY PEOPLE ROOTING FOR
YOU.
YOU. DO YOU EVER WORRY THAT SHARING
THIS MUCH ONLY GIVES A NARRATIVE
TO THE CRITICS WHO WANT TO DOUBT
YOU?
YOU? >> I DON’T FEEL LIKE, YOU KNOW,
I’M DOING TOO MUCH AND GIVING
CRITICS A NARRATIVE.
IN FACT, I LOVE CRITICS.
I FEEL YOU NEED THE GOOD AND THE
BAD, YOU KNOW.
SUPERMAN NEEDS LEX LUTHOR.
OR ELSE IT WOULDN’T BE A SHOW TO
WATCH.
WATCH. I FEEL IT IS SUPER IMPORTANT TO
HAVE.
HAVE. THAT’S HOW I LOOK AT IT.
SOMEONE WASN’T TOLD ME, BILLIE
JEAN KING, THAT PRESSURE IS A
PRIVILEGE.
PRIVILEGE. I’M IN A POSITION WHERE I FEEL
THE WEIGHT ON MY SHOULDERS
ACTUALLY A IMPRESSIVEPRIVILEGE F
>> BEFORE WE GO, WHAT DO YOU
WANT TO SAY TO NEW YORK, TO THE
WORLD?
WORLD? YOU RETURNED TO THE COURT FOR
WIMBLEDON.
WIMBLEDON. NOW, YOU’RE BACK ON U.S. SOIL.
>> THIS IS THE BEGINNING.
LIKE EVERY NEW MOM OUT THERE,
THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF A NEW
LIFE.
LIFE. IT’S HOW I FEEL.
THIS IS THE BEGINNING FOR A NEW
CAREER FOR ME.
YEAH, IT IS WEIRD THAT I SAY
THAT IN TENNIS, BUT IT IS.
I’M NOT GOING TO BE DONE AFTER
THE OPEN.
THE OPEN. I’M GOING TO BE IN THE NEXT
GRAND SLAM AND THE NEXT AND THE
NEXT AND THE NEXT.
IT IS GOING TO KEEP GOING.
YEAH, I’M GOING FOR THIS ONE,
BUT IF NOT, THERE’S ONE IN
JANUARY.
JANUARY. THERE’S FOUR MORE.
THEN THERE WILL BE EIGHT MORE.
FOR ME, THIS IS JUST THE
BEGINNING OF MY PLAYING.
>> DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK.