Following the birth of her daughter at the beginning of the month, Serena Williams has been thinking a lot about the inspiration her own mother has had on her.
So much so that the tennis champion has taken to Reddit to pen an open letter to her mum, Oracene Price. Shared on Instagram alongside a picture of Serena and her newborn, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr, the heartfelt note is dedicated to her mum and discusses strength and perceptions around body shape.
‘You are one of the strongest women I know,’ Williams starts with.
‘I was looking at my daughter and she has my arms and legs! My exact same strong, muscular, powerful, sensational arms and body. I don't know how I would react if she has to go through what I've gone through since I was a 15 year old and even to this day,’ Williams wrote in reference to the abuse she has received throughout her career.
Discussing the insults she’s received about her body shape, people have suggested that the letter may be a retort to comments in Maria Sharapova’s new book. The fellow tennis star wrote about her rival’s ‘thick arms and thick legs’ in her recently published memoir Unstoppable.
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‘I've been called man because I appeared outwardly strong. It has been said that that I use drugs (No, I have always had far too much integrity to behave dishonestly in order to gain an advantage). It has been said I don't belong in Women's sports -- that I belong in Men's -- because I look stronger than many other women do. (No, I just work hard and I was born with this badass body and proud of it).’
Williams, whose fiance Alexis Ohanian co-founded Reddit, concludes by thanking her mother for being a constant inspiration and support, something she hopes to be to her daughter.
‘Thank you for being the role model I needed to endure all the hardships that I now regard as a challenges--ones that I enjoy. I hope to teach my baby Alexis Olympia the same, and have the same fortitude you have had.’
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