Any parent will relate to the struggle of trying to navigate the erecting and dissembling of a pushchair, and despite her many incredible achievements tennis star Serena Williams is no different.
The new mother, 36, who gave birth to her first child Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. in September 2017, struck a chord with many when she tweeted about her struggles this week.
The 23-time Grand Slam winner said: ‘I’ve conquered a lot of things… blood clots in my lungs- twice… knee and foot surgeries… winning grand slams being down match point… to name just a FEW but I found out by far the hardest is figuring out a stroller.’
Fellow parents rushed to reassure the new mother that everyone goes through the same struggle, telling her ‘welcome to parenthood’.
Others said that she hadn’t experienced struggle unless she’d stepped on Lego in the middle of the night or encountered the Barbie Dream House.
Serena who married Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, in November, was plagued by health problems and almost died after she welcomed daughter, known was Olympia, into the world four months ago.
Serena Williams, 36, pictured with her daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr, joked that navigating the pushchair is harder than any of her previous on court battles
The new mother’s Twitter post struck a chord with fellow parents, receiving 56,000 likes
The 23-time grand slam winner is planning to return to competitive tennis next month
She developed several small blood clots in her lungs, right after her daughter was born while a pulmonary embolism resulted in bouts of coughing so severe that her cesarean wound reopened.
She was dealt with another blow when doctors discovered a large hematoma and she was bedridden for six weeks.
Earlier this week, it was announced that she will make her return to competition for the first time in more than a year, a little more than five months after giving birth.
The US Tennis Association announced on Tuesday that Williams will represent the country in their first-round Fed Cup matches against Holland in Asheville, North Carolina, on February 10-11.
Parents sympathised with Serena’s plight but some warned that she’s not yet endured the challenges involved with Lego and Barbie houses
She has not played an official match since winning the Australian Open in January 2017 for her 23rd Grand Slam singles title, setting a record for most in the professional era.
Serena, who was a several weeks pregnant when she won the Australian Open last January, had planned to make her return to competitive tennis at the tournament this month.
But she decided to opt out explaining: ‘I’m not where I personally wanted to be’ when it came to her game, adding, ‘Olympia and I look forward to coming back again.’