Serena Williams Shares Why She Didn’t Always Want Her Daughter, 5, At Her Tennis Matches

Serena Williams & daughter Olympia

Serena Williams Shares Why She Didn’t Always Want Her Daughter, 5, At Her Tennis Matches: I Just Was Worried I’d Get Distracted

It’s no denying that Serena Williams‘ daughter is one of her mother’s biggest fans, but the newly retired tennis champion didn’t always want her five-year-old bestie to witness her in action.

Serena Williams shares her daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., with her husband who, of course, goes by the same name. The pair has been married since November 2017. During a recent appearance on the Drew Barrymore Show, the 40-year-old said she was, in so many words, worried about her daughter’s safety while she was on the court.

Serena Williams, Alexis Ohanian and daughter

Serena Williams said,

“I just was worried I’d get distracted because I would be like, ‘Wait is she drinking? Is she doing this?’ ” Williams shares. “She came to a match once, like super brief, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, is she wearing sun cream?’ It’s nuts.”

She added,

“I would get stressed out and be like ‘Wait a minute, oh my goodness I’ve got to serve. This makes no sense.’ So yeah, I’ve never really had her at matches until this summer actually.”

According to a description of the episode,

“Drew sits down with tennis superstar Serena Williams to chat about her final match, her family life and her new children’s book, ‘The Adventures of Qai, Qai.’ Plus, Serena plays a rapid fire round of all of her favorites in GOATS To Go.”

Williams is widely regarded as the greatest tennis player of all time. The 23-time Grand Slam champion played what is likely to be her final game on September 2 during the US Open. Even though she ultimately lost the match, the show was overshadowed by her exit from the sport that has been a part of her life since she was literally a little girl. The match peaked with nearly 7 million viewers on ESPN, a tennis-related record for the American sports network.

Following her retirement, the four-time Olympic gold medalist shared that she wished she’d made the announcement 10 years ago. As previously reported, outside of her personal and professional interests, she is now focused solely on her family.

Williams said,

“You have to think I have been playing tennis since I was literally in a stroller. There is a picture of Venus pushing me in a stroller.”

She added,

“For me to suddenly have to be done it was like well this is a big thing. When it came out, I was actually relieved. I didn’t expect to feel that way but I felt good.”

What are your thoughts on what Serena Williams shared? Let us know in the comments!

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Authored by: S. G.