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Tennis star Serena Williams struggling with “postpartum emotions”
LOS ANGELES, Aug 7, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Serena Williams says she is suffering
from “postpartum emotions” as the 23-time Grand Slam winner struggles to deal
with juggling family life and tennis.
The 36-year-old American is seeking to regain her top form after missing
most of the 2017 WTA season due to a pregnancy.
“I read several articles that said postpartum emotions can last up to three
years if not dealt with,” Williams said on Monday.
Williams’ disclosure comes a week after she suffered the worst loss of her
career in San Jose, losing the final 12 games in a shocking 6-1, 6-0 first-
round upset to unseeded Johanna Konta. On Monday, she described her mindset
at the time as being in a “funk”.
“Last week was not easy for me. Not only was I accepting some tough
personal stuff, but I just was in a funk. Mostly, I felt like I was not a
good mom,” Williams wrote on her social media Instagram account.
Williams said she is trying to work through her despair by sharing her
feelings with family and friends.
“Talking things through with my mom, my sisters, my friends let me know
that my feelings are totally normal. It’s totally normal to feel like I’m not
doing enough for my baby …. Whether stay-at-home or working, finding that
balance with kids is a true art,” she said.
Organizers announced on Saturday that Williams was withdrawing from this
week’s WTA Montreal tournament citing “personal reasons”.
Williams battled back from life-saving surgery after giving birth to
daughter Olympia in September, reaching the final at Wimbledon, where she was
beaten by Germany’s Angelique Kerber.
Williams had a tough draw in Montreal. Her opening match would have been
against Frenchwoman Alize Cornet who has defeated Williams four out of the
six times they have faced each other.
If she advanced past Cornet, her next opponent would have been Kerber.
MORE/MR/ 1022 hrs
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Meanwhile, in first round matches on Monday, Serena’s older sister Venus
rallied from an early break down to ease into the second round by defeating
world number 124 Caroline Dolehide 7-5, 6-1.
“I think maybe she had more of an advantage because she’s probably seen me
play more than I’ve played her. It was pretty close in the first set,” the
38-year-old Venus said.
Venus used her experience to wrestle control of the match as she hit 12
winners and made 16 unforced errors.
Dolehide tried to make the most of her baseline game but she racked up 25
unforced errors to 11 winners, and lost her serve four times.
Venus next faces the winner of an all-Romanian encounter between qualifier
Monica Niculescu and 2013 tournament runner-up Sorana Cirstea.
– Teen rivals –
Maria Sharapova and Sesil Karatantcheva, of Bulgaria, renewed their teenage
rivalry but were only able to complete the first five games before the rains
hit.
Russia’s Sharapova has a 4-1 lead in the match which will resume on
Tuesday.
The pair played their first three career matches as teenagers, including a
fiery affair on the outer courts at the 2004 Indian Wells tournament when
Karatantcheva was 15. Tuesday’s contest under the Court Central lights will
be their first in over eight years.
Because of the rain, their match was one of several that will be added to
an already busy Tuesday calendar.
BSS/AFP/MR/ 1022 hrs