Serena Williams makes Cincinnati return with Venus after ‘emotional’ family moment with daughters Olympia and AdiraSerena Williams’ story of motherhood is also a story of survival. In 2017, the tennis star won the Australian Open while eight weeks pregnant, then nearly died after giving birth to her daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. An emergency C-section was followed by a pulmonary embolism, more surgery and six weeks in bed. Serena later returned to the highest level of tennis, reaching four straight Grand Slam finals. Her daughter Olympia became an important part of that journey. Years later, Serena chose to step away from singles tennis to focus on her family, while continuing to build her life beyond the court.How did Serena Williams almost die after giving birth to Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr.Serena’s pregnancy had gone well, but the birth of Olympia on September 1, 2017, quickly became dangerous. Olympia was delivered by emergency C-section after her heart rate dropped sharply during contractions. The surgery itself went well, and Serena was able to hold her daughter. The serious problems started about a day later.Serena suddenly had trouble breathing. Because she had a history of blood clots, she suspected she was having another pulmonary embolism, a condition in which a blood clot blocks blood flow in the lungs. She asked for a CT scan and blood thinner treatment. Doctors later found several small clots in her lungs.The treatment then caused another problem. Serena’s intense coughing made her C-section wound open. Doctors found a large hematoma, or a collection of blood, in her abdomen. She needed more surgery and another procedure to help stop future clots from reaching her lungs. After leaving the hospital, Serena spent the first six weeks of motherhood in bed and had difficulty even walking.Serena later described the experience in a CNN opinion piece, making clear just how close she believed she had come to losing her life.“I almost died after giving birth to my daughter, Olympia. Yet I consider myself fortunate… When I finally made it home to my family, with only days left in my recovery, I felt a deep sense of gratitude just to hold my baby girl in my arms.”The CNN piece was also about the wider problem of maternal health and the need for better access to care. Serena credited the doctors and nurses who treated her with helping save her life.How did Alexis Ohanian support Serena Williams during her recoveryFor Serena, recovering from childbirth was not only about getting her body strong enough to play tennis again. She was also learning how to care for a newborn while she was unable to move normally.Her husband, Alexis Ohanian, was there during that difficult period. In Serena’s 2018 Vogue interview, Ohanian spoke about how hard it was to watch his wife struggle while he could not take away what she was going through. Serena also described how difficult those first weeks were as a new mother.That made her return to tennis different from any comeback she had made before. She was not simply trying to get her ranking back. She was trying to find a way to be a professional athlete and a mother at the same time.When Serena returned to competition, she faced another challenge. After her long break, she had fallen far down the rankings and had to work her way back into major events. She eventually reached the 2018 Wimbledon final, less than a year after giving birth.How did Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. become Serena Williams’ motivationOlympia was born into a world where her mother was already one of the biggest names in tennis. But after the difficult birth, motherhood gave Serena a different reason to keep going.During her return, Serena spoke openly about the emotional side of being a mother and an athlete. Her run to the Wimbledon final in 2018 became one of the clearest signs that she could still compete at the highest level after everything her body had gone through.After the Wimbledon final, Serena also dedicated her performance to mothers watching her. She had lost to Angelique Kerber, but the result did not take away from what she had achieved by reaching the final so soon after giving birth.“Olympia, does mama look good out here? You’re the reason I’m here, you’re my motivation. To all the moms out there, I was playing for you today. It’s okay to have hard days, but we keep fighting.”That message summed up what her comeback had come to mean. Serena was not hiding the difficult parts of motherhood. She was showing that returning to work after having a child can involve fear, setbacks and days when the body simply does not cooperate.Her run did not stop at Wimbledon. Serena reached four straight Grand Slam singles finals after becoming a mother: Wimbledon and the US Open in 2018, followed by the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2019. She did not win those finals, but reaching them showed how quickly she had returned to the top of the sport.Why did Serena Williams choose family when she stepped away from tennisBy 2022, Serena was ready for another major change. She did not want to call it retirement. In her Vogue essay announcing her decision to move away from professional tennis, she called it an “evolution.”Her decision was closely tied to her family. Serena wrote about Olympia’s wish to become a big sister and her own desire to have another child. At the same time, she wanted to give more attention to Serena Ventures and the other parts of her life that had grown alongside her tennis career.“I have never liked the word retirement… Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution. I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me… My daughter wants to be a big sister, and I want to be there for my family.”Vogue published Serena’s essay in August 2022, ahead of what she described as her final US Open. She later welcomed her second daughter, Adira River Ohanian, with Alexis Ohanian in August 2023.Serena’s tennis story has since taken another unexpected turn. In 2026, she returned to competitive tennis, making her comeback first in doubles and later joining Carlos Alcaraz for the US Open mixed doubles event. That means her relationship with the sport is still evolving, even after she stepped away from singles competition in 2022.Her motherhood journey remains one of the most personal parts of that story. Serena went from a frightening medical crisis after Olympia’s birth to competing in Grand Slam finals again. She then made a choice to put family at the centre of her next chapter. For Serena, strength was not only about winning another match. It was also about surviving, recovering and finding a new reason to keep moving forward.