Serena Williams has done a lot of badass things in her life, but winning her 23rd Grand Slam while being pregnant with her daughter tops the list.
"I was two months pregnant. I was literally nine weeks by the end of the tournament. I was almost done with my first trimester," she recently told InStyle for its Badass Women issue. "Every day that passed I thought, 'This is a dream.' It was like an animated Disney movie. And by the time the quarterfinals came, I was like, 'I know I can beat this girl,' and at the semifinals I thought, 'I know I can win this match.' I didn't think I would win the final, so when I won, it was like, 'OK, this is crazy.'"
During the interview, Williams recalled how difficult it was to be so far in her pregnancy and still play in the Australian Open.
"I had a really tough first round and an even tougher second round," she said. "I thought, 'I'm probably going to lose early. That's OK. I have a good excuse for the first time.'"
Williams and her husband Alexis Ohanian welcomed their baby girl last fall. As for whether she wants more children, Williams told the magazine, "If I weren't working, I'd already be pregnant."
However, Williams hinted she may spend less time on the court if they decided to welcome another child.
"I don't know if I want to play if I have another baby," she said, "but you're right. I need to talk to Alexis. We need a plan."
This may be because it can be difficult to find a balance between tennis and motherhood. Williams' day often starts at 2:00 a.m. or 4:00 a.m. to feed her little one.
"I'm in the locker room pumping before a match because my boobs are so big. When I pump, they go down a size or two and I go out and play. It's crazy," she told the magazine. "So I feed her, and then she snuggles with me, which is the best part of my day. Then we play, and after that I sneak away to practice, usually around 8 a.m. The only rule I have at practice is to be done at 1 p.m., because as much as I love tennis, I need to be with her. I want to put her above everything else I'm doing, so I take calls when she naps. I usually bathe her every night. We sing the 'Rubber Ducky' song, and then I ask her if she wants the express wax or the deluxe. Express is when I rub coconut oil on really fast and then I put her diaper on. Deluxe is when I do it a little slower and give her a little massage. It's so cute. She's in bed by 7:30 at the latest."
Plus, Williams isn't afraid to admit that, like many, she can be a worried parent.
"Like is she OK? What is she doing? Did she fall? Did she sit?" she told the magazine, listing her concerns. "Even when she crawls I shadow her so she doesn't hit her head. I have a padded floor—everything makes me nervous about her. Is she in the car? Who's driving? Why am I not driving? I want total control."
To read more of Williams' interview, visit InStyle.com and check out its Badass Women issue.