In a recent column, Serena Williams criticized the WTA rankings points system.
The American player did not compete for 14 months after winning 2017 Australian Open and she came back on track in 2018 Indian Wells.
Just ahead of the BNP Paribas Open, Serena said: “When I returned to tennis from maternity leave, I was penalised for taking time off: my ranking dropped from #1 in the world to #453. That required me to face tougher competition earlier in the French Open, which led to a pectoral injury that forced me to drop out. I fought
hard personally, making it to the Wimbledon final shortly after, but I also fought hard publicly against the biased ranking system. We must stop penalising women when they return to their careers after having children.”
Serena is 37 years old but she does not see the end of her career yet: “My dreams are just beginning and being a mom is a part of that now. I want Olympia to see and remember her mom winning a Grand Slam title. I want her to know that my work fulfils me, that I’m proud and passionate about what I do even if I’m not perfect at it, and
that she should never give up on her dreams. I want her to see a world of possibilities at her feet and to believe in those first steps she took when I was training, every time she takes a leap toward her goals — however big the risk”, concluded Serena.