THE TENNIS ACE WITH HER SECOND CHILD, DAUGHTER ADIRA RIVER, HUSBAND ALEXIS OHANIAN AND THEIR DAUGHTER ALEXIS OLYMPIA JR, SIX
Serena Williams has had a humungous career, more than most tennis stars dream of. She became the Queen of the Court and even began a family while she was demolishing the competition on the court. Now, Williams has retired and aims to become successful in her business ventures and ensure her family doesn’t encounter tough days like she did.
Williams has gone through many changes throughout her life. Her personality has also gone through many changes, but she never deviated from herself. Going through such difficult times, Williams wants her daughter to learn one thing from her career.
“they can lead dynamic careers”: Serena Williams on what she hopes her daughters learn from her
The former number 1 recently interviewed with Byrdie, where she talked about her life over the years. The 23-time grand slam champion also touched upon her daughters, who were looking up to her, and she said they could hope to learn to be authentic to themselves. “I want my daughters to look at my career and learn that being authentic to themselves is really the most important thing,” she shares.
“You don’t have to be the best as long as you do your best. I also hope my daughters see how many different passions I have—from tennis to beauty—and learn that they can lead dynamic careers and lives across their many interests.” Williams has faced slander and abuse from tennis fans many times in her career, but she never changed herself to appease those who threw doubt on her.
Hence, she wants her daughters to learn that being true to yourself is the priority. While Williams always dreamed of having a conventional family, the decision did not come easily for her, as it meant giving up tennis.
“It’s definitely not easy”: Williams on giving up her career to have a family
Williams’ choice to quit was both challenging and emotional because she had devoted so many years to tennis and made it her greatest passion. During an interview, she stated, “It’s definitely not easy” when moving away from the sport. She also said, “I enjoy sports and being active. Leaving something I was still good at to become a mother was a difficult decision. But I wanted another child, so I had to do it. Now it’s about finding a balance and doing things I’ve always enjoyed.”
Regardless of the difficulty, she moved away from the sport and built a family with her husband, Alexis Ohanian. She also realized everything she learned from her career can one day come in handy for her daughters, and she wants them to take away one thing.
