The perfect pair! Serena Williams welcomed her and Alexis Ohanian’s daughter, Olympia, in September 2017 — and the little one is her mini-me.
While she loves sharing her moments with the toddler, the professional tennis player wrote via Instagram in February 2020 that “working and being a mom is not easy.”
The athlete explained at the time: “I am often exhausted, stressed, and then I go play a professional tennis match. We keep going. I am so proud and inspired by the women who do it day in and day out. I’m proud to be this baby’s mama @olympiaohanian.”
That same month, the Michigan native told Anna Wintour about being privileged enough to spend more time with her daughter than the typical working mom.
“I’m at a loss for words when I think of women who work day in and day out, providing for their families, when I know how hard it is for me to leave my daughter,” the My Life: Queen of the Court author said. “I never felt that way until I became a mom. I think women need to be recognized.”
The athletic apparel designer added that her “heroes have changed” since parenthood, explaining, “My heroes are moms because women are superheroes. To have a baby and then have to go to work two or three weeks later or work a nine to five. … I’m fortunate to not have to do that.”
When it comes to raising Olympia, Williams models her parenting tactics after her own mother’s. “I feel like all those lessons [my mom, Oracene Price], taught me about being so strong, of proud of who I am, of being able to look anyone in the face and have confidence and speak with so much confidence is something that I really have been able to embrace,” the Olympian said during a June 2017 event. “And I would love to teach my kid that.”
Williams announced in September 2022 that she intended to retire from her professional tennis career to focus on other endeavors and her family.
“The fact is that nothing is a sacrifice for me when it comes to Olympia,” she told Vogue that month. “It all just makes sense. I want to teach her how to tie her shoes, how to read, where babies come from, and about God. Just like my mom taught me. As she grows, it’s something different every month.”
Keep scrolling to see the 23-time Grand Slam winner bonding with her daughter over the years, from walking a runway to playing tennis.