Serena Williams' Return to Tennis Will Also Benefit a Great Cause

March 8 will mark Serena's first match since giving birth to her daughter.

Serena Williams
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Image via Getty/Tim Clayton/Corbis

Serena Williams

If being a new mother and the world's greatest athlete weren't enough, Serena Williams is making her return to the court with a good cause in tow. March 8, which is also International Women's Day, will mark Williams' return to tennis since giving birth. To celebrate the occasion, she shared her new "Serena Gold" pins, whose sale will benefit the Yetunde Price Resource Center, a place that helps rehabilitate those affected by violence, VIBE reports. Williams, along with her sister Venus, established the Compton-based center two years ago, naming it after their sister who was killed in a drive-by shooting in 2003. 

She took to Instagram to share the pins, which will be made available at her upcoming tournaments in California and Miami, FL. Thursday's match against Zarina Diyas will be her first since giving birth to her daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. in September. "It's official. My comeback is here," she wrote in the caption. "I created my Serena Gold toned 'S' pin. When I am playing you can wear it and show support not only for me but also for my charity, which supports the Yetunde Price Resource center."

She went on to explain that she wants the pins to have more than just supportive meaning for herself and her charity, but for whoever decides to wear one. "I want this gold 'S' to mean something special to you personally," she said, then asking her followers to think of "s-words" that mean a lot to them. "Mine [are] Strong and Sure! So, when I wear my 'S' pin, I am representing Strength and Sureness."

The court isn't the only place Williams is making a change. Since giving birth, she's been vocal about the childbirth complications she experienced, which resulted in surgery and weeks of painful recovery time that could have been avoided. In a recent interview with the BBC, she shared some startling statistics that indicate that black women are three times more likely to die from childbirth complications in the U.S. than white women. "Doctors aren't listening to us, to be quite frank," she explained. "Knowing that going in, and some doctor's not caring as much for us, it's heartbreaking."

Serena is also marking her return to the courts by being a brand ambassador of Lincoln Navigator's 2018 campaign, for which she posted the commercial on her Instagram as well. "Every time I step onto the court, it feels like a homecoming," the caption reads.

 

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