It's Remarkable How Serena Williams Has Gone From Almost Dying To Being Dominant And On The Verge of Winning The US Open In Just a Year

Last night Serena Williams took care of a tricky Anastasija Sevastova in the semis 6-3 6-0 to advance to US Open Women’s Final where a very tough Naomi Osaka awaits. After her win last night her husband Alexis Ohanian, the founder of Reddit, went to Twitter to post a little tribute for what she’s overcome in just a year.

When Serena gave birth to her daughter a year ago she almost died from complications. She detailed it in a first person account on CNN:

While I had a pretty easy pregnancy, my daughter was born by emergency C-section after her heart rate dropped dramatically during contractions. The surgery went smoothly. Before I knew it, Olympia was in my arms. It was the most amazing feeling I’ve ever experienced in my life. But what followed just 24 hours after giving birth were six days of uncertainty.

It began with a pulmonary embolism, which is a condition in which one or more arteries in the lungs becomes blocked by a blood clot. Because of my medical history with this problem, I live in fear of this situation. So, when I fell short of breath, I didn’t wait a second to alert the nurses.

This sparked a slew of health complications that I am lucky to have survived. First my C-section wound popped open due to the intense coughing I endured as a result of the embolism. I returned to surgery, where the doctors found a large hematoma, a swelling of clotted blood, in my abdomen. And then I returned to the operating room for a procedure that prevents clots from traveling to my lungs. When I finally made it home to my family, I had to spend the first six weeks of motherhood in bed.

Scary, scary shit. I’m admittedly not the biggest Serena guy in the world. I really can’t explain why. Maybe it’s partly because everyone on the planet loves her, especially the commentators and it’s insufferable to listen to. I don’t like her arrogance and how if she’s playing in a random tournament in the first round against a girl who has never played before she screams “COME ON!” on every point meanwhile her opponent doesn’t stand a chance. I don’t hate her, I just don’t like her as much as most tennis folks do. I’m more of a fan of the younger American women, most notably Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens. That being said, what Serena has done in a year to get to this point, being on the cusp of a US Open title is nothing short of remarkable.

Yes, she made the Wimbledon Final a few months ago against Kerber, but she definitely wasn’t at the top of her game, losing in straight sets 6-3 6-3. She’s still not at 100% right now, but she’s dominating once again. Aside from one weird set to Kaia Kanepi in the round of 16, she’s won every set in the tournament. Physically she’s still getting back to top shape, but Serena at 75% is better than everyone else. That’s why she’s so great.

She’s an inspiration to every mother out there for what she’s doing after nearly dying on a hospital bed giving birth to her daughter. She’s one grand slam title away from tying Margaret Court for the most grand slam titles in tennis history. It won’t be easy tomorrow and not many you will watch because it’s in the middle of College Football Saturday, but when she wins it’s going to be a hell of a sports moment. Go Serena Go. She’s going to have the entire crowd behind her tomorrow at 4:00 and that should push to the W. Serena -270 to the bank.