"I can’t tell you how hard it was; I lost so many matches after I had Olympia" - Serena Williams on the adverse impact motherhood had on her tennis career

Serena Williams has only had a few weeks to settle into a post-retirement life, but being away from the court has given the American tennis legend plenty of time to reflect on her decision to hang up the tennis racket.

Speaking to actor Bradley Cooper in a recent interview with Variety magazine, Williams said she "needed" to stop playing tennis — given that all her life, she had imagined heading into retirement on a high.

Reflecting further, Williams said things changed for her dramatically after the birth of daughter Olympia in 2017. Describing herself as a "super hands-on mom," the American said it was difficult balancing everything and she felt, in the end, that she had given the sport everything she had to offer.

“I just needed to stop,” Serena Williams said. “I always said I wanted to stop when I’m playing really good tennis and winning and beating good players. For me, it’s really about things I want to do spiritually and spending time with my daughter and family.”

“As a super hands-on mom, I can’t tell you how hard it was. I lost so many matches after I had Olympia,” she cotinued. “Because it was so hard to be on the court. I feel like I’ve given so much of my life to tennis, my entire life, that it’s time to do something different for me and also work on other things.”

Shifting her focus to her post-retirement regime, Williams joked that there were periods when she did not step out of her house for days. At the same time, she was quick to add that she did not want to overdo it just for the sake of it.

“Some days, I’m like," Serena Williams said. "‘When is the last time I’ve been outside?’ So that’s normal.”

"It’s making sure I’m out there enough so it’s not too much of an event [when I do go out]," she conitnued. "The other day, I wanted to get something to eat and I ended up staying home. I don’t want to overdo that. it’s important to step out just enough.”

"I definitely can still come back" - Serena Williams on a possible return to tennis

Serena Williams at the 2022 US Open.

During the interview, Williams also spoke about missing out on competing on the professional tour — leaving the door open for a possible comeback at some point in the future.

While she did not give out a concrete answer, the 23-time Grand Slam champion said she could "definitely still come back" if she felt like it.

“I feel like if I want to come back," Serena Williams added. "I definitely can still come back.”