On Wednesday’s episode of The Drew Barrymore Show, the recently retired tennis star, 40, discusses why she didn’t bring her daughter Olympia to any of her matches until very recently.

Do you want to believe that you were frightened of losing your “killing instinct” if you took Olympia to the matches? Williams, who is the co-parent of Olympia with her husband Alexis Ohanian, is asked by Barrymore.

For some reason, I was afraid that my attention might wander if I saw her drinking. Are they doing this? William is a shareholder. Once she showed out to a match looking scant, I remember thinking, “Oh my God, is she wearing sun cream?” This is completely insane.

When under pressure, I’d say, “Wait a minute, oh my gosh, I have to serve.” Then, with a chuckle, she adds that this is illogical. It wasn’t until this summer that I started bringing her to matches.

Olympia was there to cheer on her mom at the final U.S. Open she would ever compete in. After the competition, Williams made headlines by announcing that her 27-year tennis career was coming to an end.

Barrymore mentions that Olympia attended the most-watched moment in tennis history and then asks Williams if the presence of her kid helped to soothe her nerves. Williams categorically affirms this. She said, “Go, Momma, I’m so proud of you,” to which I responded, “What?”

Then, after I had been defeated in Cincinnati, she returned and said, “It’s okay, Momma; you just have to do what you feel,” I felt like crying. It was basically, “Do what you want.” Listen to your gut and act accordingly. She thinks it was the most adorable thing ever.

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On September 2 at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Williams probably lost the final match of her great career. The 23-time Grand Slam winner ultimately fell to Ajla Tomljanovi of Australia after a grueling three-set battle.