I’ve genuinely enjoyed how Serena Williams has allowed us into her life in the past few years especially. Serena was never Greta Garbo-esque, hiding in dark corners and refusing to do publicity, but she has had ebbs and flows where she – understandably – did not want to give away too much of her personal life. But everything that happened with her engagement and then marriage to Alexis Ohanian, plus becoming a mother to Alexis Olympia, well… Serena wants us to see a lot of it. And I like that. She’s married for the first time and a first-time mom. It’s new to her, and she’s taking us on her journey. It’s sweet and it’s real.

So, Serena is still taking us on the journey. She gave birth to Olympia on September 1st, and she’s still not ready to compete – she pulled out of the Australian Open last week, and her coach says that Serena will probably be ready for the tour in March, for Indian Wells and Miami. Now Serena covers the February issue of Vogue with her baby daughter – this is Olympia’s first magazine cover! Anna Wintour is ride-or-die for Serena (and Roger Federer), and Wintour just gave Serena a huge editorial for her wedding. But now Serena wants to talk about her baby and how difficult it was to give birth and deal with a harrowing medical situation following the birth. You can read the full Vogue piece here. Some highlights:

What they call the baby: Serena calls her Olympia. Alexis prefers Junior.

Motherhood was her early dream: “We’re not spending a day apart until she’s eighteen. Now that I’m 36 and I look at my baby, I remember that this was also one of my goals when I was little, before tennis took over, when I was still kind of a normal girl who played with dolls. Oh, my God, I loved my dolls.”

She’s focused on 25: “To be honest, there’s something really attractive about the idea of moving to San Francisco and just being a mom. But not yet. Maybe this goes without saying, but it needs to be said in a powerful way: I absolutely want more Grand Slams. I’m well aware of the record books, unfortunately. It’s not a secret that I have my sights on 25… And actually, I think having a baby might help. When I’m too anxious I lose matches, and I feel like a lot of that anxiety disappeared when Olympia was born. Knowing I’ve got this beautiful baby to go home to makes me feel like I don’t have to play another match. I don’t need the money or the titles or the prestige. I want them, but I don’t need them. That’s a different feeling for me.”

The lows of motherhood: “Sometimes I get really down and feel like, Man, I can’t do this. It’s that same negative attitude I have on the court sometimes. I guess that’s just who I am. No one talks about the low moments—the pressure you feel, the incredible letdown every time you hear the baby cry. I’ve broken down I don’t know how many times. Or I’ll get angry about the crying, then sad about being angry, and then guilty, like, Why do I feel so sad when I have a beautiful baby? The emotions are insane.”

Tennis dads are supporting her: Stanislas Wawrinka gave Olympia a pair of tiny blue Tod’s driving loafers, and Novak Djokovic continues to send articles in accordance with his everything-natural philosophy. Serena and Novak call their babies doubles partners since they were born a day apart. Roger Federer, in some respects her only real rival on the tour—the person she’s always sought to keep pace with, the person she refuses to retire before—now has two sets of twins. “It’s so unfair,” Se­rena complains. “He produced four babies and barely missed a tournament. I can’t even imagine where I’d be with twins right now. Probably at the bottom of the pool.”

Tennis girlfriends: Caroline Wozniacki, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Angelique Kerber—have reached out to remind her how much she’s been missed this year. This is hugely important to Serena, who insists that contrary to the rumors, this is a group of women that genuinely cares for and respects one another. “I really believe that we have to build each other up and build our tour up,” she says. “The women in Billie Jean King’s day supported each other even though they competed fiercely. We’ve got to do that. That’s kind of the mark I want to leave. Play each other hard, but keep growing the sport.”

Babies love Juan Martin del Potro: But she has no wish to push her daughter onto the court. To her mother’s horror, Olympia sat transfixed by the Argentine star Juan Martín del Potro recently. “I was distraught when I saw her,” says Se­rena. “I would hate her to have to deal with comparisons or expectations. It’s so much work, and I’ve given up so much. I don’t regret it, but it’s like Sliding Doors: Go through a different door and lead a different life. I’d like her to have a normal life. I didn’t have that.”

Venus Rising in 2017: “I know that her career might have been different if she had had my health. I know how hard she works. I hate playing her because she gets this look on her face where she just looks sad if she’s losing. Solemn. It breaks my heart. So when I play her now, I absolutely don’t look at her, because if she gets that look, then I’ll start feeling bad, and the next thing you know I’ll be losing. I think that’s when the turning point came in our rivalry, when I stopped looking at her.”

No Limits: “I think sometimes women limit themselves. I’m not sure why we think that way, but I know that we’re sometimes taught to not dream as big as men, not to believe we can be a president or a CEO, when in the same household, a male child is told he can be anything he wants. I’m so glad I had a daughter. I want to teach her that there are no limits.”

[From Vogue]

I can’t even tell you how much I enjoyed this Vogue article, OMFG. I didn’t even include the details of Serena’s medical drama, because it was so difficult to read, and I can only imagine how difficult it was for her to go through. But the fun stuff is great – the baby watching DelPo, Serena refusing to retire before Roger, Stan Wawrinka sending her baby shoes. It’s adorable. She’ll be back. And she’ll keep winning. She’ll get to 25. And it will be amazing.

Photos courtesy of Mario Testino for Vogue.