Serena Williams describes 'incredible experience' of motherhood in interview

The 23-time Grand Slam winner has described having her daughter as the 'best thing that's happened to me'

(Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Serena Williams has discussed how becoming a mother has changed her life, describing it as an “incredible experience.”

In a recent interview with fashion designer Zac Posen, the tennis star explained that she hadn’t previously been a “kids kind of person” as she'd been more “career oriented”.

However, she stated that while winning 23 Grand Slams has been a fantastic achievement, having her daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian, Jr. has been the “best thing that’s happened to me.”

Williams was speaking to Posen as part of Yahoo Lifestyle’s “Loud and Clear” video series.

The former women’s world number one has openly discussed her pregnancy and motherhood on several occasions.

She recently spoke out about how she experienced light bleeding during the early stages of her pregnancy, which she mistakenly thought was her period at the time.

Bleeding during the first trimester of pregnancy is a fairly common occurrence, with it happening to approximately 20 to 30 per cent of pregnant women according to the American Pregnancy Association.

Having assumed that she was simply going through her menstrual cycle, Williams thought nothing of it until a friend urged her to take a pregnancy test.

It was only then that the tennis star discovered that she was carrying her first child.

“Honestly, I thought it was impossible,” Williams told InStyle in regard to becoming pregnant.

“I had not seen Alexis [Ohanian, Williams’ husband] in, like, four weeks. So I literally took the test just to shut my friend up.”

Williams was convinced that she wasn’t pregnant, and so only checked the test a couple of hours after taking it.

“I literally had a cycle just before,” she said.

“So I was surprised when I saw the result and even more surprised when the doctor said I was seven weeks along.”

The 23-time Grand Slam winner famously went on to win the Australian Open in 2017 while she was eight weeks pregnant, which only became public knowledge once the tournament had ended.

While missing a period is one of the most commonly known early signs of pregnancy, not as many people may be aware that women may still lightly bleed during their first trimester.

When the fertilised egg implants into the lining of the uterus, implantation bleeding can then occur around a week after ovulation.

The changes that take place in the cervix during pregnancy can also lead to bleeding, as stated by the NHS.

While bleeding during the first trimester isn’t unusual, it could be a sign of a miscarriage or an ectopic pregnancy, which is why it’s advisable to speak to a doctor if any bleeding occurs.