Serena Williams doesn’t like being away from her daughter.
The 36-year-old professional tennis player recently returned to the court after giving birth to her daughter Alexis Olympia – whom she has with her husband Alexis Ohanian – in September last year, and has admitted that whilst she thinks it is "healthy" for her to be a "working mom", she finds it hard to step away from her daughter’s side for too long.
She said: "I spend so much time with her, every single day. We literally do everything. So I really don’t like being away from her, but I also think it’s healthy, in a way, for me to do what I need to do and be that working mom, and then go back home and be the mom."
Serena defeated Dutch tennis player Arantxa Rus in the first round of competition at Wimbledon on Monday (02.07.18), and said it "felt good" to be back competing again.
Speaking to reporters after her win, she added: "It felt good to play and just to be back on the grass. It definitely felt good."
Her comments come after she revealed earlier this week that she was upset when the time came to stop nursing her little one.
She said: "I literally sat Olympia in my arms, I talked to her, we prayed about it. I told her, ‘Look, I’m going to stop. Mommy has to do this.’
"I cried a little bit not as much as I thought I would."
Though she loves being a mother, Serena admitted she was shocked when she realised how much she’d missed the pressure of competing out on the court.
She said: "It definitely surprises me. I have this amazing child, all these grand slams … it was all super bonus. I definitely feel a lot less pressure out there but I’m a little bit shocked at how much I almost want that pressure."