Serena Williams pens touching open letter to her mum: 'You're the role model I needed'

Serena Williams is settling into motherhood nicely, and she's taken some time to reflect on how her own mother taught her strength through adversity. The 35-year-old tennis star penned a moving open letter to her mum, Oracene Price, on her official Reddit page on September 19.

"You are one of the strongest women I know," the 23-time Grand Slam champion began. "I was looking at my daughter (OMG, yes, I have a 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."



Throughout her career, Serena has been forced to endure hurtful allegations ranging from the use of performance-enhancing drugs to cruel remarks about her muscular physique. "I've been called man because I appeared outwardly strong," she continued.

Image: Getty

"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). But mom, I'm not sure how you did not go off on every single reporter, person, announcer and quite frankly, hater, who was too ignorant to understand the power of a black woman. I am proud we were able to show them what some women look like."

She thanked her mum for "being the role model I needed" in order to endure "the hardships that I now regard as a challenges."

"I hope to teach my baby Alexis Olympia the same, and have the same fortitude you have had," she said.

Serena welcomed daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., her first child with her fiancé, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian Sr., on September 1. Both parents have gushed over their new arrival, with Alexis writing on Instagram on September 17: "Dad life is the greatest."



In his sweet tribute, he continued, "Entrepreneurship is all-consuming, it's sleepless, we call our startups our "babies," we are ridiculously proud of them, and we pour all of ourselves into them -- but she is already all that and more, she is my legacy."