American tennis superstar Serena Williams is all set to defend her title at the Australian Open 2018. It will be an exciting return to the Melbourne Park for the 36-year-old as she lifted the trophy being two-month pregnant! The 23-grand slam winning champion showed the world the incredible woman power. Serena busted the cringing stereotype that pregnancy and motherhood is a hindrance in a women’s life. She not only participated at the highest level but also clinched the title. Serena Williams defeated former World No. 1 and her sister, Venus Williams 6-4, 6-4 to win Australian Open 2017 trophy, a title the Michigan-born player will cherish for the lifetime.

Serena welcomed her first child with Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian on September 1, 2017. The couple named their daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. Right from the announcement of Serena’s pregnancy to choosing the name, everything holds a significant message. The tennis great was eight weeks pregnant at the first grand slam of 2017. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Serena confessed to being shocked at the positive pregnancy test. She was quoted saying, "Oh my God, this can't be -- I've got to play a tournament," as the player ‘did double take’. Nevertheless, Serena went on to play and win the tournament.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2G-Uiz6PxQ

The tennis ace revealed about her pregnancy to fans with a Snapchat post and the internet collectively lost its calm. There is always intense pressure participating at a major and it doubled up in Serena’s case as she was chasing German legend, Steffi Graf’s record number of the highest grand slam titles in women’s singles for quite some time. Serena who refused to comment on it throughout the tournament finally breathed a sigh of relief after winning her 23rd major and equalling Graf’s record. Serena is only behind Australian tennis champion, Margaret Court who leads the all-time list with 24 titles.

Queen in Melbourne ? #AusOpen

A post shared by Australian Open (@australianopen) on Dec 20, 2017 at 2:24am PST

“I’ve been chasing it for a really long time,” Williams said after winning the 23rd major title. “When it got on my radar, I knew I had an opportunity to get there, and I’m here. It’s a great feeling. No better place to do it than Melbourne.” It was indeed an extraordinary victory for Serena. She defeated none other than her elder sister, Venus Williams. They have played for 28 times with the younger sibling leading 17-11 head-to-head record.

A post shared by Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) on Nov 6, 2017 at 5:09am PST

And now a year later, the sporting icon is ready to return post her maternity break. Before defending the title Down Under, Serena is having thorough preparation. The new mother will participate in the Mubadala exhibition event in Abu Dhabi. One can expect a rousing welcome for one of the greatest sports stars of the modern era when she steps her foot on the court.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 30, 2017 08:46 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).