Yahoo News Serena Williams And Her Family Make Rare Red Carpet Appearance At 2024 ESPY Awards
Serena Williams knows how to shut down a red carpet all on her own. So when the whole family gets involved, it’s a truly jaw-dropping event.
On July 11, the tennis GOAT made a rare red carpet appearance alongside her husband, Alexis Ohanian, and their eldest daughter, Olympia, at the 2024 ESPY Awards.
At the event, Serena rocked an Armani Privé black gown with jewels along the neckline. Meanwhile, Olympia (always the fashionista) wore a white gown from Dolce & Gabbana. Alexis kept it classy with a black Gucci suit and a pair of turquoise Nikes. Baby Adria was not with them, but given she's less than a year old, you can assume it was past her bedtime!
The world has watched Serena grow from a 14-year-old making her tennis debut to a powerful businesswoman, the most decorated tennis player of all time, and now, a mom of two girls.
Serena, 42, and her husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, welcomed their first daughter on Sept. 1, 2017. Then, in August of 2023, Serena gave birth to her second daughter. With a house full of little ones looking up to her, this elite athlete has been making sure her girls know what "strong" looks like.
Serena has been open about motherhood with her fans, explaining how it shifted her priorities when it came to tennis and life. In June 2018, she rearranged her whole training schedule to be finished by 1 p.m to spend more time with Olympia, she told InStyle, per People.
“As much as I love tennis, I need to be with her,” Serena said. “I want to put her above everything else I’m doing. Since she was born, I haven’t been apart from her for more than a day.”
Serena exited professional tennis competitions in 2022, a year before her second child was born, to focus on spending more time with her family. "I've been so focused on my career my whole life, but when I had a family and got married, I realized that there's so much more to life. And that was great," she told People.
And now, she's happier than ever. "I can't say that a Wimbledon trophy holds a candle to volunteering at my kid's school," Serena said during an April interview with Byrdie.
The WYN Beauty founder added that she hopes her daughter follow her lead and keep a range of interests.
"I also hope my daughters see how many different passions I have—from tennis to beauty— and learn that they can lead dynamic careers," she said.
Ahead, everything you need to know about Serena’s two daughters:
Alexis Olympia
Serena’s first-born daughter Olympia (she goes by her middle name), was born in September 1, 2017 in West Palm Beach, Florida. After Olympia's birth, Serena’s hubby shared a sweet message on IG alongside a cartoon of himself, his wife, and his new daughter.
“Welcome, Alexis Olympia Ohanian, Jr., we're so happy to meet you....Our little girl is already mama's perfect sidekick,” he captioned the photo.
During her first pregnancy, Serena was open about the health difficulties she faced, including her daughter's complicated birth and an emergency cesarean section, per PEOPLE. “My whole life I’ve been physically pushing my body to the limits,” says Williams. “And this is the one time where I couldn’t control anything. I couldn’t push my body. My body pushed to its maximum. That was so hard.”
Thankfully, a healthy Olympia arrived safely in her mom's arms.
Before she was born, Olympia already had quite the tennis career while in utero. Serena famously found out she was pregnant right before she competed in (and won, of course) the Australian Open in 2017, she told Vanity Fair.
These days, Olympia is growing fast and you best believe she is Serena’s total mini-me. She cheers her mom on at sporting events, and they even work out together (the toddler has her own set of equipment in Serena’s home gym).
In an Instagram Story filmed from her home gym, Serena showed Olympia’s own little setup. "My little baby got some equipment," Serena shared in the video. "She has an elliptical, and then the Stairmaster or treadmill, and then she has a little bike."
Olympia is a total fashionista, too, and joined her parents for Paris Fashion Week back in 2022.
Her matching outfits with Serena are truly adorable.
Olympia loves ballet, soccer, and VR gaming, her parents shared with PEOPLE. However, despite her early days on the court, she’s not totally in love with tennis... yet.
"That's a little disappointing for me, but she's actually really good at it," Serena shared with the mag. "So we are trying to figure out a way to get her to play a little bit."
BTW, Olympia already co-owns two sports teams teams. The six year old is a partial owner of the women’s soccer team Angel City Football Club and the Los Angeles Golf Club.
Adira River
Baby Adira is the newest addition to Serena’s fam. The tennis G.O.A.T. announced her second pregnancy with a grand entrance the Met Gala in May 2023. After the event, Serena shared a photo with a super-sweet caption: "Was so excited when Anna Wintour invited the 3 of us to the Met Gala,” Serena wrote.
Serena and her husband later welcomed Adira with an Instagram announcement in August of 2023.
“Welcome, Adira River Ohanian. I'm grateful to report our house is teaming with love: a happy & healthy newborn girl and happy & healthy mama,” Alexis captioned the image. “Feeling grateful. @serenawilliams you've now given me another incomparable gift — you're the GMOAT. 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.”
And, of course the little one, who is roughly six months old, is already working out with her big sis:
Serena's younger daughter has inspired her to practice self-care. In February, the athlete shared a photo of her with Adria on her hip alongside an important message.
"Loving yourself is essential,” she wrote in her caption. “I find that I have to remind myself of that self-love through all different stages in my life. Right now I love that my body is not picture perfect.”
And she still gets in a sweat sesh when needed: A month prior, she discussed the realities of postpartum life, which meant squeezing a workout in with two kids in the house or doing some major multi-tasking. The tennis star shared an IG video of her getting her Pilates workout in with a baby carrier strapped to her chest. “LISTEN - I stay on 'ready set' in case I have to RUN 🏃🏿♀️ and grab baby [Adira]…. But until then - burn inner thighs, BURN 🔥,” Serena captioned the clip.
This is the sweetest family! Congratulations, Serena and Alexis.
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