Serena Williams is one of the most successful female athletes not only in tennis but in the entire sporting world. She is the second-most decorated player in Grand Slam history with 23 Majors under her belt.
Throughout her career, Williams has been surrounded by a strong group of people who have supported her through thick and thin. Right from her parents, Richard Williams and Oracene Price, to her elder sister and fellow tennis legend Venus Williams, Serena has leaned on her family for support from time to time.
She welcomed her two daughters, Olympia and Adira River, with husband Alexis Ohanian in 2017 and 2023, respectively. Over the years, Williams has often spoken about her family and how important they are to her.
With that said, let’s take a look at the top five quotes by the American about her husband, daughters and family:
#5 “Thank you for being the role model I needed to endure all the hardships” – Serena Williams on her mother Oracene Price
Oracene Price has been an integral part of Serena Williams’ tennis journey. Price was her daughter’s coach and was an ever-present figure in the American’s player’s box throughout her career. After Serena Williams became a mother to Olympia in 2017, she penned an emotional letter to Price, paying tribute to her indomitable strength.
Serena Williams recalled a time when many in the media called her “man” due to her physique and wrote articles on how she should not be competing on the WTA Tour. She hailed her mother’s strength to ignore the “haters” and continue their mission. Williams thanked Price for inspiring her to turn hardships into challenges and hoped to teach Olympia what she learned from her mother.
“I’ve been called man because I appeared outwardly strong. It has been said that that I use drugs. It has been said I don’t belong in Women’s sports — that I belong in Men’s — because I look stronger than many other women do. But mom, I’m not sure how you did not go off on every single reporter, person, announcer and quite frankly, hater, who was too ignorant to understand the power of a black woman,” Williams posted on Reddit.
“You are so classy, I only wish I could take your lead. I am trying, though, and God is not done with me yet. I have a LONG way to go, but thank you. Thank you for being the role model I needed to endure all the hardships that I now regard as a challenges–ones that I enjoy. I hope to teach my baby Alexis Olympia the same, and have the same fortitude you have had,” she continued.
#4 “I love how strong he taught us to be” – Williams on her father Richard
Richard Williams is perhaps the most well-renowned father in the tennis world. He had been by Serena and Venus’ side since their early days in tennis and was the one who recognized their talent and pushed them towards greatness. His journey was captured in the 2021 film ‘King Richard.’
In an interview after the film’s release, Serena Williams showered praise on Richard’s resilience and expressed her gratitude to him for teaching her and Venus to be their best versions.
“I love his strength. I love how strong he taught us to be, and not to accept anything less than what we deserve,” Serena Williams told Forbes.
#3 “He puts me in the light, even if I don’t want to be” – Williams on her husband Alexis Ohanian
Serena Williams met Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian in 2015. However, the two might not have gotten together if it weren’t for a piece of valuable advice given to Serena by American talk show host Oprah Winfrey. In a 2019 interview, the former World No. 1 revealed that Oprah once told her never to let anyone “dim” her light.
Serena Williams said that this advice stuck with her, and when she met Ohanian, she found a person who always let the light be on her and did not impose himself.
“Oprah said, ‘Never let anyone dim your light.’ That really stuck with me. Alexis doesn’t dim my light. He doesn’t try to dim my light. He puts me in the light, even if I don’t want to be. He pushes me to further points I never thought about. It always was something that I could see in some relationships — my light would be dimmer. Now I feel like I can shine really bright and still do everything that I want to do,” Williams said.
#2 “Nothing is a sacrifice for me when it comes to Olympia” – Williams on her daughter elder daughter
Serena Williams gave birth to Olympia in September 2017. She famously won her last Grand Slam title at the Australian Open the same year while pregnant with Olympia. In a 2022 interview with Vogue, Williams spoke about embracing motherhood and how she has become a “hands-on” parent.
“I’m not going to lie—I definitely have a lot of support. But I’m also an incredibly hands-on mother. My husband will tell you I am too hands-on. In five years, Olympia has only spent one 24-hour period away from me. This past year, while I was recovering from a hamstring injury, I got to pick her up from school four or five days a week, and I always looked forward to seeing her face light up when she walked out of the building and saw me waiting there for her. The fact is that nothing is a sacrifice for me when it comes to Olympia,” Williams said.
#1 “There would be no Serena if there wasn’t a Venus” – Williams on her elder sister
Venus and Serena Williams are among the most successful and globally renowned athlete siblings. Together, they have 30 Grand Slam singles titles as well as 14 Grand Slam doubles titles. While Serena retired from the sport in 2022, Venus is still an active player at the age of 43.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly in 2021, Serena Williams opined that ‘King Richard’ actually tells the story of Venus Williams that no one ever could. She credited Venus for leading the way for other women in tennis and went on to claim that she would not have had a career if not for her elder sister.
“I feel like the film actually tells her story, in a way that no one can ever really tell what she went through in being the first Black player to really step out there. You see the impact that it has had and all the people that are coming up after myself and Venus,” she continued. “There would be no Serena if there wasn’t a Venus,” Serena Williams said.
