By: Jalen Amerine (’21), Staff Writer
On Thursday, March 8, Serena Williams played her first tennis match with the Women’s Tennis Association since the birth of her Daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian, Jr. Many were unsure if she would be able to return to the competitive stage after being gone for a year. Especially since Williams had medical complications giving birth and following it. However, Williams was able to return to the WTA with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Zarina Diyas. Though Williams did not play a “perfect game,” this triumph is a positive sign regarding her future with the WTA.
However, amid all of the positive feedback and congratulations that Williams received, there was one reporter that decided to bring up the therapeutic use exemption (TUE) that Williams received back in 2015. A TUE is a process that athletes can go through in order to be authorized to use drugs that would otherwise be prohibited for the purpose of treating a diagnosed medical condition. Williams had already mentioned how she had been sick and required a TUE in order to take a decongestant and play in the 2015 French Open, but the entire process was sanctioned and legal.
In what many are calling a heated exchange, Serena Williams defended herself against this reporter as she accused her of doing something unregulated or unsanctioned. Why is it that, after a powerful return to the competitive arena, Williams is questioned about a completely regulated process she went through almost three years ago? No matter how well she does and how much she succeeds someone is always going to try to tarnish her moment of glory. Williams handled the question with poise and shut down any doping rumors effectively.
Before the match there was much debate about not only if Serena Williams could return to the WTA, but if she should. Some believed that she had to choose between being a mother and being an athlete, believing that it was outlandish for her husband, Alexis Ohanian, to also take care of the baby while Williams trained and competed. This dated notion is an example of how no matter how high a woman rises, it will always be assumed that her role is in the house, even if both parents are successful in their given fields.
The idea that Serena Williams should have to choose between being a mother or being the greatest athlete of all time with 23 major wins is ridiculous. There is no reason to assume that she can’t do both, and do both well. Williams has already noted that she wants nothing more than to be a good mother, and this was shown at her press conference when she mentioned her daughter numerous times.
Serena Williams has already proven herself to be a headstrong individual, and has become a much-loved icon in mainstream popular culture. She will continue to prove time and time again that she can have it all.
