Serena Williams says she's 'way more active' as a mom than she was playing tennis
You think winning Wimbledon is hard? Serena Williams says try being a mother of two.
"As a mom, I’m actually way more active than what I was during tennis," Williams said on TODAY with Hoda & Jenna April 4.
"Obviously, (with) tennis, I was playing Wimbledons and stuff. But, as a mom, I’m gone all day," she added.
Her schedule includes her self-imposed challenge of volunteering at her daughter's school as often as possible. She welcomed her second child, Adira, in August, and is also mother to 6-year-old Olympia.
“I’m really competitive about it, too,” she said. "I sign my name up whenever I can, whenever there’s a spot open.”
Her on-the-go mom life inspired her to launch a new makeup line, WYN Beauty; she said the products help her finish her makeup in five minutes.
Williams shares her two daughters with her husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.
When Ohanian and Williams welcomed their second baby, the proud dad shouted out his superstar wife for being the GMOAT (Greatest Mother Of All Time).
"@serenawilliams you’ve now given me another incomparable gift — you’re the GMOAT," he said. "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."
Read on for more about their two daughters.
Alexis Olympia Ohanian, Jr.
The little girl, who goes by her middle name, was born on September 1, 2017.
“Welcome, Alexis Olympia Ohanian, Jr., we’re so happy to meet you,” Ohanian wrote on Instagram two weeks after the birth. “Our little girl is already mama’s perfect sidekick.”
The 41-year-old tennis legend famously competed in the 2017 Australian Open while pregnant with Olympia, who was born later that year.
Williams had announced her pregnancy by sharing a Snapchat selfie in which she wore a yellow swimsuit during her 20th week of pregnancy.
Williams revealed she nearly died while giving birth due to a pulmonary embolism after an emergency C-section.
Giving birth was complicated, Williams wrote in a CNN essay published the following year. After an emergency C-section, Williams suffered a pulmonary embolism (when a blood clot gets stuck in an artery in the lungs, according to Mayo Clinic).
Olympia grew into her mom’s adorable “mini me“ — she loves playing tennis with her superstar mom, as evidenced in photos posted to her own (parent-managed) Instagram account, with more than 600,000 followers.
In May 2022, Ellen DeGeneres asked Williams to rate her daughter’s tennis performance.
“Ummm….” she answered. “Are you asking as a mom or an athlete? I don’t know if I can be objective because I look at her and I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s good…’”
“I don’t push her,” added Williams. “She’s 4 … She’s alright. I would say she needs to — I’ve seen 4-year-olds that might take her out …”
Fortunately, Olympia has other interests, like her favorite doll Qai Qai, twinning with her mother, lightsaber battles and cosplaying princesses, as seen during a trip to the Palace of Versailles in France.
Olympia is also very excited about being a big sister, her parents say.
Adira River Ohanian
Williams and Ohanian shared the news of Adira River's birth on Aug. 22, 2023.
Williams and Ohanian announced their second pregnancy ahead of the 2023 Met Gala in May.
“Was so excited when Anna Wintour invited the 3 of us to the Met Gala,” Williams captioned Instagram photos of her and Ohanian dressed for the ball while cradling her pregnant stomach.
Ohanian tweeted that day, “Mama & Papa love this parenting-thing, so we’re back at it and @olympiaohanian is gonna be the best Big Sister — she’s been asking & praying for this for a minute.”
On May 23, Williams uploaded a YouTube video in which she showed her positive pregnancy test and prepared to tell Olympia about her sibling.
“Olympia does not know right now that I am pregnant, but she did call me fat and then she got really stressed out. She was like, ‘Mommy, you’re fat,’” Williams said in the video. “I try not to take it personal ‘cause I’m, like, super into fitness, but I’m, like, ‘Um, am I?’”
While sitting down with their daughter, Williams said, “Remember how you’ve been praying for a little sister or brother? It turns out I’m not getting fat but I have a baby in my belly.”
“Are you kidding me?” exclaimed Olympia, before hugging her mom and racing around the room and then flopping on the floor.
“You still gotta help us keep it a secret for one more day, OK?” said Ohanian.
The couple knew they were taking a risk by telling Olympia before the rest of the world.
“The reason I haven’t told her is because she can’t keep a secret,” Williams said in a May 5 YouTube video tease.
Williams shared YouTube footage of her baby shower and gender reveal celebration, in which she said, “I’m team pink.”
“I’m nervous because I don’t have any contingency plan if it turns out to be a boy ... I’m very excited. I’m a little nervous,” added Williams.
Ohanian recently told “People“ that he and Williams feel secure about welcoming a new baby into their lives.
“We’re not first-time parents anymore,” he told the outlet. “I feel more confident about having a newborn, all of those things that I just had zero confidence about with Olympia because I’d never even been around babies at that point in my life,” he said. “We’re also obviously taking every precaution and doing everything we can to make sure everything goes smoothly for Serena.”
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
