Serena Williams has launched a stinging assault on those who've criticised or doubted her while outlining her hopes for the future of her new baby in a touching letter to her mother.
Arguably the greatest tennis player of all time, Williams and fiance Alexis Ohanian welcomed daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr on September 1.
She has now taken to Reddit, the social media site founded by Ohanian, to give thanks to her mum, Oracene Price, hail her offspring and lay into those who've crossed her.
"I was looking at my daughter (OMG, yes, I have a daughter) and she has my arms and legs! My exact same strong, muscular, powerful, sensational arms and body," she says on Reddit after calling Oracene "one of the strongest women I know".
"I don't know how I would react if she has to go through what I've gone through since I was a 15 year old and even to this day,"
"I've been called man because I appeared outwardly strong.
"It has been said that that I use drugs (No, I have always had far too much integrity to behave dishonestly in order to gain an advantage).
"It has been said I don't belong in Women's sports - that I belong in men's - because I look stronger than many other women do. (No, I just work hard and I was born with this badass body and proud of it).
"But mom, I'm not sure how you did not go off on every single reporter, person, announcer and quite frankly, hater, who was too ignorant to understand the power of a black woman."
Williams posted soon after the birth of Alexis: "Born: September 1, 2017. Weight: 6lb 14oz. Grand slam titles: 1."
She had famously won her 23rd Grand Slam at the Australian Open while pregnant.
And she looks forward to setting the same example for her daughter.
"I am proud we were able to show them what some women look like," she says.
"We don't all look the same. We are curvy, strong, muscular, tall, small, just to name a few, and all the same: we are women and proud!"
Serena and her fiance announced the pregnancy back in April on her Snapchat, with a snap of the nine-time Wimbledon champion showing off her bump in a swimsuit, alongside the caption: "20 weeks."
And she has shared her journey to motherhood with fans.
She continues to her mother: "You are so classy, I only wish I could take your lead. I am trying, though, and God is not done with me yet. I have a LONG way to go, but thank you.
"Thank you for being the role model I needed to endure all the hardships that I now regard as a challenges--ones that I enjoy. I hope to teach my baby Alexis Olympia the same, and have the same fortitude you have had.
"Promise me, Mom, that you will continue to help. I'm not sure if I am as meek and strong as you are yet. I hope to get there one day. I love you dearly."
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