'Last week was not easy for me': Serena Williams on the worst loss of her career

Serena Williams has admitted on Instagram that she was 'in a funk' last week, when she lost her match against Johanna Konta at the Mubadala Silicon Valley Classic. Photo / Getty Images

Tennis pro Serena Williams revealed on Monday that her historic loss at San Jose's Silicon Valley Classic on July 31 might have had something to do with postpartum depression.

"Last week was not easy for me. Not only was I accepting some tough personal stuff, but I just was in a funk. Mostly, I felt like I was not a good mom," the 36-year-old athlete — who boasts 24.8M social media followers — admitted.

"I read several articles that said postpartum emotions can last up to 3 years if not dealt with. I like communication best. Talking things through with my mom, my sisters, my friends let me know that my feelings are totally normal."

View this post on Instagram

Last week was not easy for me. Not only was I accepting some tough personal stuff, but I just was in a funk. Mostly, I felt like I was not a good mom. I read several articles that said postpartum emotions can last up to 3 years if not dealt with. I like communication best. Talking things through with my mom, my sisters, my friends let me know that my feelings are totally normal. It’s totally normal to feel like I’m not doing enough for my baby. We have all been there. I work a lot, I train, and I’m trying to be the best athlete I can be. However, that means although I have been with her every day of her life, I’m not around as much as I would like to be. Most of you moms deal with the same thing. Whether stay-at-home or working, finding that balance with kids is a true art. You are the true heroes. I’m here to say: if you are having a rough day or week--it’s ok--I am, too!!! There’s always tomm!

A post shared by Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) on Aug 6, 2018 at 3:24pm PDT

The four-time Olympic gold medalist previously admitted she could have played "a zillion times better" against British player Johanna Konta, who beat her (6-1, 6-0) during their 52-minute match, the Daily Mail reported.

It was the fifth tournament Serena had competed in since welcoming her first child with her husband, Initialized Capital General Partner Alexis Ohanian Sr.

"I have so many things on my mind, I don't have time to be shocked about a loss," Williams shrugged on August 1.

"I clearly wasn't at my best. When I was out there, I was fighting. I wasn't just giving it away. I was moving a lot better. I'm just trying to take the positives. I think [Johanna] played well in the second set. I wasn't sharp at all in the first set, and she got more confident from there. She clearly ran away with it."

The four-time Olympic gold medalist waves to the crowd after she losing her match to Johanna Konta. Photo / Getty Images

On Saturday, the Michigan-born champ cited "personal reasons" for pulling out of her August 27 match against France's Alizé Cornet at Montreal's Rogers Cup.

This, after the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale grad pulled out of the French Open in June after injuring a pectoral muscle.

However, Serena and her sister Venus are still scheduled to headline the Greenbrier Champions Tennis Classic's seventh anniversary tournament, happening from September 15-16 in West Virginia.

But first, Williams and the 35-year-old former Reddit co-founder will celebrate their daughter Alexis Olympia's first birthday on September 1.

View this post on Instagram

They are always staring at me 😌

A post shared by Alexis Olympia Ohanian, Jr. (@olympiaohanian) on Jul 24, 2018 at 7:23am PDT

The Being Serena star can also focus on the self-titled independent 12-piece clothing collection (costing between US$14.99-$215), which she launched in May on her website.