Serena Williams has won her first title since becoming a mother.
The tennis GOAT defeated Jessica Pegula 6-3, 6-4 in the ASB Classic on Saturday, reports ESPN. Her last title was the Australia Singles Tournament in January 2017 while pregnant with daughter Alexis Olympia. Little Alexis was in the crowd when her mom won.
“It feels good. It's been a long time. I think you can see the relief on my face,” Williams said after the match. "I played an incredible opponent today in Jessica, and honestly, it was a great match, and I couldn't have played anyone better in the final."
It was a 1,079 day gap between the victories and Williams is glad it’s closed.
“You have to be your biggest cheerleader, especially if you’re feeling you’re not doing everything right — or even if you are doing everything right but things aren’t working out for you,” she reflected, according to CNN.
The Compton native has always been open about balancing her career with motherhood. She had major complications after she gave birth to Olympia in September 2017. Now, she’s focused on maintaining a proper work-life balance.
"It's different," Williams told Forbes last year. "In the beginning she would really be upset when I left. And now she's a little bit better. I think I'm a little more upset. But at the same time, she definitely still takes it a little hard. She's still super young.”
Thankfully, Williams is able to dictate her schedule when she’s not competing in a tournament. The hardest part is when it’s time for her to go away.
"In tournament schedule, it's totally different, so I'm kind of pushed out of my usual day-to-day life,” she explained. “Oh, my God, I'm not with her. That's been the most, I mean, 'the' toughest thing I have ever dealt with in my career."
Williams plans to donate her $43,000 prize to relief efforts for the Australian bushfires. She will also play in the Australian Open Rally for Relief, a charity tennis match for victims of the fires. It will feature other tennis stars including Naomi Osaka and Roger Federer. The match is scheduled for January 15 at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne Park.
"The response from the tennis community — our players, clubs, partners and international tennis bodies — has been overwhelming and it's wonderful to see everyone pull together,” said Craig Tiley, CEO of Tennis Australia.
"The players are keen to be involved — we've had a tremendous response from them and they are keen to help."
Although Williams is American, the devastation from the fires has affected her deeply, according to Yahoo Sport.
"To me it means the world. I have so many friends in Australia and it's just been really tragic all around," she said last week.
"I just keep asking every day to people back home or in Australia, what can I do? Is there anything I can do? It's literally devastating for me and I'm sure a lot of other people feel the same way."