Article By Denise Richardson // EEW Magazine Online // Motherhood

Psalm 127:3 says, “Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him.”

Fabulous tennis champion Serena Williams is grateful for the gift of her 2-year-old daughter Olympia, but she admits she struggles to balance work and motherhood—proving she’s just like the rest of us.

The 38-year-old mom and wife of Internet entrepreneur, Alexis Ohanian, got vulnerable in an Instagram post Friday, February 21, where she wrote, “Being a mom is not easy.”

Williams opened up in the caption of a photograph of herself cradling her precious, sleeping baby girl in her arms while sitting in a car. “I am often exhausted, stressed, and then I go play a professional tennis match,” she added.

Though the tennis pro makes it all look so easy, she kept it all the way real and revealed that it’s anything but. Nevertheless, she said, “We keep going. I am so proud and inspired by the women who do it day in and day out.”

According to Pew Research, a majority of women with a young child are in the labor force. Every day, millions of working mothers in America make sacrifices to care for their families and pursue their passions and can most certainly relate to Williams’ sentiments.

In 2019, Williams told E! News what it felt like to be a first-time working mom. “I’m always trying to ask everyone else, how do they balance, because I’m not sure if I’m doing a good job,” she said. “I’m just trying to do the best that I can.”

On Feb. 8, Williams played singles in a Fed Cup competition, defeating her opponent Jelena Ostapenko and proving her dominance on the court. But the wife and mom wants to have success off the court too and sometimes admittedly struggles with her confidence.

 “I’m a perfectionist, so I tend to second-guess myself a lot,” she told E! “For me, it’s my first time around being a mom and I kind of beat myself up over everything. I missed her first steps, and that was really hard for me.”

Despite all the challenges and hurdles, the seven-time Wimbledon winner said on Instagram, “I’m proud to be this baby’s mama.”