Serena Williams Admits She’s Only Spent a Single 24-Hour Period Away From Her Daughter in the 5 Years Since She Gave Birth

Serena Williams might be one of the world’s top athletes, but her responsibilities as a mother always come first. In a recent op-ed, Williams opened up about her retirement from tennis, her family’s future, and her role as a mother to her almost 5-year-old daughter, Olympia.

The seven-time Wimbledon winner also revealed that surprisingly enough, she’s only spent a single 24-hour period away from her daughter since giving birth. Learn more about Williams’ plans for her career and family.

Serena Williams’ daughter wants to become a big sister

Williams and her husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, welcomed their first child together in 2017. Impressively enough, Williams was two months pregnant with Olympia when she won the Australian Open that year. She told Vogue that she “loved” the process of being pregnant.

Now, five years later, Williams’ daughter is more than ready to become an older sibling. The pro athlete shared a sweet story about Olympia asking for a baby sister. According to Williams, she and her daughter were riding in a car when the educational app Olympia was using asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up.

“She doesn’t know I’m listening, but I can hear the answer she whispers into the phone,” said Williams. “She says, ‘I want to be a big sister.'”

But hilariously enough, she’s only interested in having a little sister — not a little brother. Having grown up with five sisters of her own, Williams can relate.

Williams said, “Olympia says this a lot, even when she knows I’m listening. Sometimes before bed, she prays to Jehovah to bring her a baby sister. (She doesn’t want anything to do with a boy!) I’m the youngest of five sisters myself, and my sisters are my heroes, so this has felt like a moment I need to listen very carefully to.”

Serena Williams has only spent one 24-hour period away from her daughter in five years

Early on in her career, Williams didn’t think about having kids. But ever since welcoming Olympia, she now considers herself to be an extremely “hands-on” mother.

“I was never that confident or comfortable around babies or children, and I figured that if I ever did have a baby, I would have people taking care of it 24/7,” Williams told Vogue. “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 fact, Williams revealed that she’s adamant about spending as much time with her daughter as possible — something that “just makes sense” to her as a mother. She explained, “In five years, Olympia has only spent one 24-hour period away from me.”

She added that she and Olympia enjoy baking with Play-Doh, running made-up obstacle courses, and playing a game called “the floor is lava” together. “Whatever she likes, I like,” Williams explains.

Motherhood factored into Serena Williams’ decision to retire

While deciding to leave tennis behind her, Williams had a lot to consider. But one factor that especially played into her choice to retire was motherhood.

In her piece for Vogue, Williams also revealed that she and Ohanian have been trying to have another child. “I definitely don’t want to be pregnant again as an athlete,” she explained. “I need to be two feet into tennis or two feet out.”

Williams also expressed an interest in focusing even more on her brand, Serena Ventures. It helped to fund 16 major companies all valued at well over $1 billion, including Tonal, Impossible Foods, Noom, and Esusu, among others.

But even with the exciting prospect of continuing to grow her business and her family on the horizon, the 40-year-old still explained that her decision to retire from tennis was not an easy one.

Last spring, Williams felt an “itch” to play the game again. She sought out advice from her fellow athlete and friend, Tiger Woods, who told her to hit the tennis court every day for two weeks to see if she still missed it at the end.

Williams said, “It felt magical to pick up a racket again. And I was good. I was really good. I went back and forth about whether to play Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open after that. As I’ve said, this whole evolution thing has not been easy for me.”

Understandably, Williams would miss playing the game. But it seems like her sights are set toward her future. She concluded: “I am more grateful for you than I can ever express in words. You have carried me to so many wins and so many trophies. I’m going to miss that version of me, that girl who played tennis. And I’m going to miss you.”