SERENA BLOSSOMS

Retired superstar Serena Williams opens up about life after tennis, her marriage and being INOM)

- SIPHOKAZIZAMA

FOR years she dominated the tennis court, all raw power, rippling muscles and steely determination. But the hun­ ger that drove her to become one of the finest athletes the world has ever seen is gone, and a very different desire is motivating Serena Williams these days. Motherhood is her life’s purpose now; it’s her biggest challenge, greatest achieve ment and most wonderful sur­ prise, she says.

“I was never that confident or com­ fortable around babies and children. I figured if I ever did have a baby, I’d have other people taking care of it 24/7.”

But then Olympia (6) and Adira (six months) came along. Serena discovered she wanted to be with her kids all the time and in the first five years of Olym­ pia’s life, she spent only a single 24­hour period away from her.

She’s also relaxed the rigorous training regime that helped keep her at the top of her game and is embracing the changes that come with giving birth.

In a recent Instagram post, a bikini­ clad Serena (42) holds baby Adira on a boat during a family holiday and talks about the importance of loving yourself.

“I find I have to remind myself of that self­love through all the different stages of my life,” she says. “Right now I love that my body is not picture­perfect.

“I love that I smell like milk – that milk sustains Adira. I love getting to know a new version of my body. It is a change but it’s a change that has been well worth it. So start this week, knowing that you are loved and that starts with you.”