Serena Williams might be known for her skills on the tennis court with her fans, but around her house, she's the G.M.O.A.T, or the greatest mother of all time.
The world has watched Serena grow from the 14-year-old who made her tennis debut on an international stage to a powerful businesswoman, the most decorated tennis player of all time, and now, a mom of two girls.
Serena, 42, and her husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, welcomed their first daughter on Sept. 1, 2017. Then, in August of 2023, Serena gave birth to her second daughter. With a house full of little ones looking up to her, this elite athlete has been making sure her girls know what "strong" looks like.
Serena has been open about motherhood with her fans, explaining how it shifted her priorities when it came to tennis and life. In June 2018, she rearranged her whole training schedule to be finished by 1 p.m to spend more time with Olympia, she told InStyle, per People.
“As much as I love tennis, I need to be with her,” Serena said. “I want to put her above everything else I’m doing. Since she was born, I haven’t been apart from her for more than a day.”
More recently, Serena has been sharing the realities of postpartum life, which means squeezing a workout in with two kids in the house or doing some major multi-tasking. The tennis star shared an IG video of her getting her Pilates workout in with a baby carrier strapped to her chest in case Adira, who was taking a nap, woke up during her sweat sesh. “LISTEN - I stay on “ready set” in case I have to RUN 🏃🏿♀️ and grab baby [Adira]…. But until then - burn inner thighs, BURN 🔥,” Serena captioned the video.
Serena exited professional tennis competitions in 2022, a year before her second child was born, to focus on spending more time with her family. "I've been so focused on my career my whole life, but when I had a family and got married, I realized that there's so much more to life. And that was great,” she told PEOPLE.
Ahead, everything you need to know about Serena’s two daughters:
Alexis Olympia
Serena’s first-born daughter Olympia (she goes by her middle name), was born in September 1, 2017 in West Palm Beach, Florida. After Olympia's birth, Serena’s hubby shared a sweet message on IG alongside a cartoon of himself, his wife, and his new daughter.
“Welcome, Alexis Olympia Ohanian, Jr., we're so happy to meet you....Our little girl is already mama's perfect sidekick,” he captioned the photo.
During her first pregnancy, Serena was open about the health difficulties she faced, including her daughter's complicated birth and an emergency cesarean section, per PEOPLE. “My whole life I’ve been physically pushing my body to the limits,” says Williams. “And this is the one time where I couldn’t control anything. I couldn’t push my body. My body pushed to its maximum. That was so hard.”
Thankfully, a healthy Olympia arrived safely in her mom's arms.
Before she was born, Olympia already had quite the tennis career while in utero. Serena famously found out she was pregnant right before she competed in (and won, of course) the Australian Open in 2017, she told Vanity Fair.
These days, Olympia is growing fast and you best believe she is Serena’s total mini-me. She cheers her mom on at sporting events, and they even work out together (the toddler has her own set of equipment in Serena’s home gym).
In an Instagram Story filmed from her home gym, Serena showed Olympia’s own little setup. "My little baby got some equipment," Serena shared in the video. "She has an elliptical, and then the Stairmaster or treadmill, and then she has a little bike."
Olympia is a total fashionista, too, and joined her parents for Paris Fashion Week back in 2022.
Her matching outfits with Serena are truly adorable.
Olympia loves ballet, soccer, and VR gaming, her parents shared with PEOPLE. However, despite her early days on the court, she’s not totally in love with tennis... yet.
"That's a little disappointing for me, but she's actually really good at it," Serena shared with the mag. "So we are trying to figure out a way to get her to play a little bit."
BTW, Olympia already co-owns two sports teams teams. The six year old is a partial owner of the women’s soccer team Angel City Football Club and the Los Angeles Golf Club.
Adira River
Baby Adira is the newest addition to Serena’s fam. The tennis G.O.A.T. announced her second pregnancy with a grand entrance the Met Gala in May 2023. After the event, Serena shared a photo with a super-sweet caption: "Was so excited when Anna Wintour invited the 3 of us to the Met Gala,” Serena wrote.
Serena and her husband later welcomed Adira with an Instagram announcement in August of 2023.
“Welcome, Adira River Ohanian. I'm grateful to report our house is teaming with love: a happy & healthy newborn girl and happy & healthy mama,” Alexis captioned the image. “Feeling grateful. @serenawilliams you've now given me another incomparable gift — you're the GMOAT. Thanks to all the amazing medical staff who took care of my wife & our daughter 🙏 I'll never forget the moment I introduced @olympiaohanian to her baby sister.”
And, of course the little one, who is roughly six months old, is already working out with her big sis:
This is the sweetest family! Congratulations, Serena and Alexis.
Jacqueline Tempera
Jacqueline Tempera is an award-winning writer and reporter living in New Jersey with her many pets. She is a business owner and a double Scorpio who loves all things astrology and reality television. She is passionate about body diversity and representation, mental health, and the fight to end sexual assault and harassment. To learn more about Jackie, follow her on Instagram @jacktemp or visit her website at jackietempera.com.
