Serena Williams Reveals She Took 6 Weeks Off From Tennis at the Start of Stay-at-Home Orders

To get through the challenging times our pandemic-stricken world has put us in, going with the flow seems like our best option. Even GOAT and tennis superstar Serena Williams knows this – she took six full weeks off from tennis at the start of social distancing guidelines and stay-at-home orders. She slowed down physically. This allowed her to tend to a knee injury she’d been nursing, she told MAKERS founder and executive producer Dyllan McGee during Verizon Media and Yahoo’s “Reset Your Mindset” virtual event. She has shared her at-home stretches and yoga flows on Instagram, but for the past few weeks she’s been back on the court again with zero pain.

Williams said at the event, which focuses on mental health and wellbeing amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, that with international sports at a standstill, she’s not sure when tournaments will resume. (Note: as of May 15, The ATP Tour and International Tennis Federation announced professional tennis will be suspended until July 31. WTA has also suspended events through July and said it will give a further update in June.) “I don’t know if it’s good to open up,” Williams said, “but I’m just waiting on the right people to make the decision.”

Williams revealed that though she struggled when stay-at-home orders first began – she wasn’t used to being home all of the time – now it has brought her a sense of normalcy. “I’m here, I’m with my daughter, and it’s a lot of stuff I don’t get to do normally. I feel like I almost get to be normal, and as weird as it sounds, it’s amazing and I love it.” Though she says she’s thriving, there are still difficulties especially when it comes to motherhood.

“It’s a lot of work every single day,” Williams said, adding later on, “Don’t think it’s gonna be roses because it is gonna be roses, but there’s a lot of poop with those roses.” (That’s one hell of a quote on motherhood we love!) To help keep her mindset strong right now, she said that she prays, something she classifies as an important part of her everyday life. Williams has also kept up with intermittent fasting and noted she’s trying to eat healthy.

Tennis has taught Williams that “not everything is gonna be perfect,” and that mindset has translated into how she views life. Not every day is going to be perfect, especially during these uncertain times. Let’s all take a page out of Williams’s book and slow down when we need to, find a routine that works, and do what feels right.