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Serena Williams’ Husband Welcomes Her Back to Tennis With Four Surprise Billboards

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Serena Williams’ husband, Alexis Ohanian Sr., has gone to great lengths to show his love for the tennis champ — he’s purchased four huge billboards featuring their little daughter. The Reddit co-founder designed the billboards himself as a way of welcoming his wife back to tennis after she took a break from the sport to give birth to their daughter. She did, however, win the 2017 Australian Open while eight weeks pregnant.

She’ll soon compete in the 2018 BNP Paribas Open in March, which takes place in Palm Springs, California, where you’ll catch a glimpse of the billboards. The first three boards spell out “Greatest Momma of All Time,” with pictures of Serena and Alexis’ newborn daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. The fourth reads, “Serena Williams: G.M.O.A.T — Alexis Jr. + Sr.” alongside an adorable picture of the tennis champ holding her baby girl.

“These just went up on alongside I-10 into Palm Springs. @olympiaohanian & I wanted to welcome her back to tennis. Designed them myself, with some help from Jr. #GMOAT,” Alexis wrote on Instagram, next to four photos of the billboards. Fans have mixed feelings about the super sized display of affection, with some gushing over the gesture and others cringing over the display. What do you think?

Serena, 36, recently revealed that though she had a relatively easy pregnancy, her daughter’s birth came with some life-threatening complications. “I almost died after giving birth to my daughter, Olympia. Yet, I consider myself fortunate,” Serena wrote in a recent column for CNN.

Serena decided to share her story to highlight the importance of affordable health care for mothers and children. “I am so grateful I had access to such an incredible medical team of doctors and nurses at a hospital with state-of-the-art equipment,” she continued. “They knew exactly how to handle this complicated turn of events. If it weren’t for their professional care, I wouldn’t be here today.” She applauded UNICEF’s commitment to mothers and children across the globe.

In the February cover story of Vouge, Serena revealed her daughter was born by an emergency cesarean section after her heart rate dropped dangerously low. The surgery went well, Serena’s husband Alexis cut the umbilical cord, and the couple’s tiny newborn lay on Serena’s chest. “That was an amazing feeling,” Serena recalled. “And then everything went bad.”

Serena suffered from a pulmonary embolism, which is a blockage in one of the pulmonary arteries in the lungs. This led to multiple surgeries and complications. When Serena finally returned home, she was bedridden for six weeks and unable to care for her precious newborn daughter. Those first couple of months were incredibly difficult for the new mom, who admits she still struggles with her the role of motherhood.

“Sometimes I get really down and feel like, man, I can’t do this,” she said. “It’s that same negative attitude I have on the court sometimes. I guess that’s just who I am. No one talks about the low moments — the pressure you feel, the incredible letdown every time you hear the baby cry.” Despite her self doubts —and her serious medical complications — Serena and Alexis Sr. are still considering more children, but say they “are in no rush.”

This post was written by the writers at Now to Love. For more, check out our sister site Now to Love.

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