Serena Williams upsets fans by saying childbirth will make her a 'real woman'

Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala - Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art of the In-Between - Arrivals - New York City, U.S. - 01/05/17 - Serena Williams. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson - RTS14PXO

Serena Williams thinks childbirth will make her “a real woman.”

The tennis pro, 35, will welcome her first child with fiancé Alexis Ohanian in September, and chatted with the Herald Sun’s Stellar about how she feels giving birth will change her.

“I have so much respect for so many women [for giving birth],” Williams said. “I am about to be a real woman now, you know? It’s going to be something incredibly impressive to go through.”

Readers online were quick to criticize Williams for her statement.

“What a ridiculous comment! I am not ‘less of a woman’ because I don’t have children,” wrote one Twitter user.

“You don’t have to have children to be ‘a real woman’. How shallow,” commented another.

“What stupid comment brainless,” wrote another reader.

The professional athlete also admitted she has some fears about giving birth.

“I don’t think watching birthing videos helps,” she told the publication. “I actually think it makes it worse. Having a baby, nothing is guaranteed.”

She even admitted that she’s worried about how giving birth will affect her game.

“That’s the scariest thing. [But] I think [giving birth] will give me more strength, if that’s possible, and a lot more confidence,” she shared. “I feel like I will be ready for anything.”

Williams’ rep didn’t immediately return a request for comment.

This article originally appeared in Page Six.