January 28, 2017: Serena Beats Venus for the Australian Open -- While Pregnant

January 28, 2017: Serena Williams wins the women's singles title at the Australian Open, at the Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne.

Ordinarily, this would not be considered a big deal: It was the 7th time she had won the tournament, and the 23rd time she had won one of tennis' "major" or "Grand Slam" titles. (Australia and Wimbledon 7 times each, the U.S. Open 6 times, and the French Open 3 times.) That's more than anyone in the 1968-onward "Open Era," when professionals were allowed in the majors; and 2nd-most all-time, behind Margaret Court's 24. In 2015, having won 3 of the 4 majors, Serena was named Sportsperson of the Year by Sports Illustrated -- the 1st time the title was "Sportsperson," rather than gender-specific.

It could be considered a big deal because she beat her sister, Venus Williams, 6-4, 6-4. It was the 9th time the sisters had faced each other in a major final, and Serena has won 7 of them. Seven of nine: For Venus, resistance is (mostly) futile. Counting all professional matches between them, Serena has won 19, and Venus has won 12.

It could also be considered a big deal because, at the age of 35 years and 4 months, it made her the oldest woman ever to win a major. It could also be considered a big deal because it currently stands as her last major.

But the bigger deal is that she was pregnant at the time. Eight weeks, or nearly 2 months. Which means she knew, and not only competed anyway, but won the tournament, and did so without losing a single set. She didn't reveal this information until April 19. (I considered using that date, since it was the date of the story. Instead, I chose the date of the achievement.)

he men's singles Final was another great chapter in the rivalry between Roger Federer of Switzerland and Rafael Nadal of Spain. Federer won the 1st set, 6-4. Nadal won the 2nd set, 6-3. Federer won the 3rd set, 6-1. Nadal won the 4th set, 6-3. Federer won the 5th set, 6-3.

Ingrid Kristiansen

Ulrike Maier

At the time, I wrote on Facebook: "Talk about burying the lead. The real accomplishment for Serena Williams is surviving plane trips to Australia and back while pregnant."

Serena's daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., known as Olympia, was born on September 1, 2017. On November 16, Serena married Olympia's father, Alexis Ohanian, founder of the website Reddit.

UPDATE: Serena announced she would  retire from tennis following the 2022 U.S. Open, in which she lost in the 3rd round. In 2023, she had another daughter, Adira River Ohanian.

Serena, her husband, and her sister are among the founding owners of the Los Angeles-based National Women's Soccer League franchise Angel City FC. Among the other owners are women's soccer legends Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm and Abby Wambach; basketball star Candace Parker; tennis icon Billie Jean King; and actresses Natalie Portman, Jennifer Garner and Eva Longoria. The Williams Sisters are also minority owners of the NFL's Miami Dolphins.

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January 28, 2017 was a Saturday. Baseball was out of season. The NFL was in the off-week between the Conference Championship Games and the Super Bowl, which the New England Patriots went on to win over the Atlanta Falcons. The NHL was in its All-Star Break.

There were 7 games in the NBA:

* The Brooklyn Nets lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves, 129-109 at the Target Center in Minneapolis. Karl-Anthony Towns scored 37 for the T-Wolves.

* The Sacramento Kings beat the Charlotte Hornets, 109-106 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte. DeMarcus Cousins scored 35 points and grabbed 18 rebounds for the Kings.

* The Miami Heat beat the Detroit Pistons, 116-103 at the American Airlines Arena (now the Kaseya Center) in Miami.

* The Boston Celtics beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 112-108 in overtime at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. Isaiah Thomas (not to be confused with Isiah Thomas) scored 37 for the C's.

* The Denver Nuggets beat the Phoenix Suns, 123-112 at the Talking Stick Resort Arena (as the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix was then known). Eric Bledose scored 41 for the Suns, but it wasn't enough, as Danilo Gallinari led the Nugs to victory with 32.

* The Memphis Grizzlies beat the Utah Jazz, 102-95 at the Vivint Smart Home Arena, as the Delta Center in Salt Lake City was then known.

* And the Golden State Warriors beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 144-98 at the Oracle Arena, as the Oakland Coliseum Arena was then known. Steph Curry led all scorers on the day with 44.

And in English soccer, North London team Arsenal went to Hampshire on the South Coast, and beat Southampton, 5-0 at St. Mary's Stadium in Southampton.