Aww! Serena Williams surprised with ‘Greatest Momma’ billboards to celebrate her return to tennis

A series of billboards went up on Interstate 10 in Palm Springs on Tuesday in honor of tennis great Serena Williams — the “Greatest” “Momma” “Of All Time.”

The person behind the boards? Williams’ husband and Reddit co-founder, Alexis Ohanian.

The boards feature pictures of Williams and her daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., and say in succession “Greatest” “Momma” “Of All Time.” The last billboard, which shows a picture of Williams and her baby girl, says “G.M.O.A.T.” and is signed, “Alexis Jr + Sr”.

The BNP Paribas Open marks the first time Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam champion, will return to the professional tennis circuit since the birth of their child. The tournament runs March 5 to 18 in Indian Wells.

In an Instagram post, Ohanian said that he and their daughter wanted to welcome Williams back to the sport.

“Designed them myself, with some help from Jr.,” he wrote.

Williams last played in January 2017, when she won the Australian Open while pregnant with her daughter. The Desert Sun reports that Williams was expected to return in January 2018 to defend her title at this year’s Australian Open, but she withdrew after losing an exhibition match in December.

In an interview with Vogue on Jan. 10, Williams revealed that she suffered life-threatening complications during and after the birth of her daughter, including a pulmonary embolism, a condition where blood clotting blocks arteries in the lungs.

This story was originally published February 27, 2018 at 1:54 PM with the headline "Aww! Serena Williams surprised with ‘Greatest Momma’ billboards to celebrate her return to tennis."