Serena Williams wins a tennis match while simultaneously parenting her daughter

Serena Williams and her daughter.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Serena Williams is back and once again proving there is nothing she cannot do.

In her first match since the coronavirus shutdown, the tennis star pulled off a 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 win over Bernarda Pera in the Top Seed Open in Lexington, Kentucky on Tuesday.

Williams attributed her victory to being "calm for once in my career," as the audience was relatively empty save for her team, husband Alexis Ohanian, and their daughter, Alexis Olympia. Williams didn't look at her family during the match, but her ears picked up her daughter's cough.

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"I know my baby's cough," she said in a press conference. "I didn't look over there but I kind of flashed my husband a look like make sure she's chewing her grapes because she shouldn't be coughing while she's eating grapes. That's the new mom in me and it's good."

Her sister, Venus Williams, beat Victoria Azarenka, 6-3, 6-2, and will advance to play Serena on Thursday in their 31st meeting, the New York Times reports. Serena holds a 18-12 lead.

"I don't play forever so I want to play the best players. And I think I got my wish," Venus said of facing off with Serena. "Here we go."

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Taylor Watson

Taylor Watson is audience engagement editor for TheWeek.com and a former editorial assistant. She graduated from Syracuse University, with a major in magazine journalism and minors in food studies and nutrition. Taylor has previously written for Runner's World, Vice, and more.