\"I was really happy to get this far,” Williams, 36, said then. “For all the moms out there, I was playing for you today.”
A lot was said during Williams' comeback about her losing her top-ranked status after taking time off to have a baby. Williams welcomed her daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. Sept. 1 and had skipped last year's Wimbledon.
\"Unfortunately, in the '90s they changed the rule whereas if you were injured [and] then you come back, you lose your seeding,\" Williams recently told \"Good Morning America.\" \"But they never took into account women that left No. 1 due to pregnancy and left not for an injury, but to have a great life and not give up tennis, but to come back.\"
Eventually, Wimbledon changed the rule and ranked her 25th in this year's tournament. She'll most likely be ranked much higher when she returns next year or in the next Grand Slam event.
Williams' husband also had plenty to say about her return to the elite of her field.
\"Days after our baby girl was born, I kissed my wife goodbye before surgery and neither of us knew if she would be coming back,\" Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian wrote on Instagram. \"We just wanted her to survive—10 months later, she's in the #Wimbledon final.\"
That was a reference to the pulmonary embolism Williams endured a day after she gave birth, which required multiple surgeries.
Ohanian continued, \"@serenawilliams will be holding a trophy again soon—she's got the greatest one waiting at home for her. Our family knows she'll win many more trophies, too. She's just getting started. And I couldn't be more proud.\"
The tech mogul had been on hand both weeks, supporting his wife's remarkable run through the famed London tournament.
","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/GMA/Culture/serena-williams-dedicates-wimbledon-run-moms/story?id=56616374","legacySlug":"/culture/story/serena-williams-dedicates-wimbledon-run-moms-56616374","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"13:36","publishDate":"07-16-2018","updatedTime":"14:16","updatedDate":"07-16-2018","socialImage":{"alt":"Alexis Ohanian and Serena Williams attend the HBO New York Premiere of 'Being Serena' at Time Warner Center, April 25, 2018, in New York.","credit":"Angela Weiss/AFP/Getty Images","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/Entertainment/alexis-ohanian-serena-williams-gty-ml-180716_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"7/16/2018 13:36:00 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":56616374,"headline":"Serena Williams dedicates tennis run to 'all moms'","mediaAssetTitle":"rothman_williams_alexis_180716","description":"\"Let’s keep making noise everyday in everything we do,\" she added.","duration":"2:26","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2018/07/180715_gma_macfarlane_819_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["135219568","135145820","134977845"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"video","date":"July 30, 2026","headline":"US launches new retaliatory strikes on Iran after attack on US forces","section":"News","slug":"/video/135219568","id":"135219568","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: US launches new retaliatory strikes on Iran after attack on US forces","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260730_gma_scott_iran3_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: US launches new retaliatory strikes on Iran after attack on US forces","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260730_gma_scott_iran3_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260730_gma_scott_iran3_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260730_gma_scott_iran3_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260730_gma_scott_iran3_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260730_gma_scott_iran3_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260730_gma_scott_iran3_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260730_gma_scott_iran3_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260730_gma_scott_iran3_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260730_gma_scott_iran3_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"July 28, 2026","headline":"Tornadoes touch down as severe storms sweep East","section":"News","slug":"/video/135145820","id":"135145820","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Tornadoes touch down as severe storms sweep East","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260728_gma_perez_tornadoes2_703_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Tornadoes touch down as severe storms sweep East","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260728_gma_perez_tornadoes2_703_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260728_gma_perez_tornadoes2_703_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260728_gma_perez_tornadoes2_703_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260728_gma_perez_tornadoes2_703_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260728_gma_perez_tornadoes2_703_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260728_gma_perez_tornadoes2_703_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260728_gma_perez_tornadoes2_703_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260728_gma_perez_tornadoes2_703_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260728_gma_perez_tornadoes2_703_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"July 22, 2026","headline":"Malcolm-Jamal Warner's widow sues his mother after drowning death","section":"News","slug":"/video/134977845","id":"134977845","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Malcolm-Jamal Warner's widow sues his mother after drowning death","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260722_gma_norwood_warner1_734_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Malcolm-Jamal Warner's widow sues his mother after drowning death","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260722_gma_norwood_warner1_734_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260722_gma_norwood_warner1_734_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260722_gma_norwood_warner1_734_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260722_gma_norwood_warner1_734_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260722_gma_norwood_warner1_734_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260722_gma_norwood_warner1_734_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260722_gma_norwood_warner1_734_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260722_gma_norwood_warner1_734_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260722_gma_norwood_warner1_734_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"Serena Williams dedicates tennis run to 'all moms'","description":"\"Let’s keep making noise everyday in everything we do,\" she added.","duration":"2:26","uploadDate":"07-16-2018","publication":"07-16-2018","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2018/07/180715_gma_macfarlane_819_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2018/07/180715_gma_macfarlane_819_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/serena-williams-dedicates-wimbledon-run-moms-56616374"}},"playlist":[{"id":"135236246","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"135259626","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"135222489","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"135189298","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"135195168","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134926667","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"135120534","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134959102","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134910526","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134846473","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134848966","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134761751","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134787741","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134782596","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134741027","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134751717","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134708317","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134548164","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134542058","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"134416060","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:culture:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"culture","title":"Serena Williams dedicates tennis run to 'all moms'","pubTime":"09:36","pubDate":"07-16-2018","modTime":"10:16","modDate":"07-16-2018","taxonomyTags":"none","id":56616374,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"Serena Williams dedicates tennis run to 'all moms'","mediaAssetTitle":"rothman_williams_alexis_180716","videoId":56616374,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/culture/story/serena-williams-dedicates-wimbledon-run-moms-56616374"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/56616374","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/56616374","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};
