Serena Williams finds it "really kind of painful" being away from her baby daughter.
Serena Williams
The tennis ace is currently competing in the US Open and has revealed her little girl, Alexis Olympia - who turns two on Sunday (01.09.19) - gets "upset" when she has to leave for work and admitted her "heart literally aches" when she can't be with her.
The 37-year-old sports star - who has Alexis with husband Alexis Ohanian - told Forbes: "I actually prefer playing in the day because I get to go home and see my baby.
"I've been missing her the last few nights when I play.
"In the beginning she would really be upset when I left.
"And now she's a little bit better.
"I think I'm a little more upset.
"But at the same time, she definitely still takes it a little hard. She's still super young."
Serena says that while it's tough not always being there for her daughter, she says it's "good for her" to be able to work still.
She continued: "You know, it's hard.
"Sometimes my heart literally aches when I'm not around her.
"But, you know, it's good for me, I guess, to keep working and just -- to all moms out there that it's not easy. It's really kind of painful sometimes. "Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do."
Serena previously admitted she "doesn't know" how she juggles running her fashion business with her tennis career and her responsibilities as a mother.
She said: "Honestly, I don't know. I go to bed every night thinking, 'How did I get through this day?' I'm sure a lot of people out there can relate, right? It's like, this day is over, it's 10 o'clock, I got through it. How did that happen? That's kind of how I am.
"Now I'm training on top of running this fashion company, on top of being a full-time mom. I'm super hands-on as a mom. I just take it as it is and realise that everyone goes through the same thing."
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