AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JANUARY 12: Alexis Olympia, daughter of Serena Williams and husband Alexis Ohanian congratulate Serena Williams after she won her final match against Jessica Pegula of USA at ASB Tennis Centre on January 12, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)Serena Williams is widely considered the greatest tennis player of all time. Her legendary career not only solidified herself as a titan in the world of tennis — but in the entire world of sports as well. Williams’ dominance in her sport has propelled her into the international spotlight, making her one of the most well-known athletes on the planet. While many know of her 23 Grand Slam singles titles, far fewer know about the tennis pros’ personal life.
Williams, 39, has dedicated most of her life to the game of tennis. But, that dedication and passion has certainly shown through in her family life as well.
Is Williams Married? Children?
Williams is one half of a pretty amazing power couple. So, who is Serena Williams’ husband?
The tennis superstar met Alexis Ohanian at a hotel they were both staying at in Rome. Ohanion, co-founder and executive chairman of the popular social news website Reddit, was there speaking at a tech convention. The two were known to officially start dating in June of 2015, right before Williams took the court for the French Open.
After over a year of dating, the tennis legend and tech mogul got engaged. Ohanian, 37, took Williams back to the same hotel in Rome where they first met to propose at the end of 2019. Williams posted a photo on Instagram of the set up where he proposed.
Just a couple of months after the two got engaged, Williams discovered she was pregnant with their soon-to-be daughter. In a dazzling display of empowerment for female athletes everywhere, the sports icon won the Australian Open while she was eight weeks pregnant — further adding to her long list of legendary accomplishments.
Williams and Ohanian welcomed Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. to the world on Sep. 1, 2017.
The couple tied the knot two months later on Nov. 16, 2017 and have been married ever since. Just this week, Williams and Ohanian celebrated their third wedding anniversary. On their second wedding anniversary Williams posted this sweet photo and message:
“2 years and counting…. @alexisohanian is still putting putting up with me.”
As their marriage grows, so does their daughter.
Alexis Jr. is now three years old. Though her name takes after her father, the young one is already starting to take after her mother on the court. Williams shared some touching photos of her and her daughter playing doubles on Instagram earlier this year.
Net Worth
The combined accomplishments of these two certainly makes for a wealthy couple.
According to Business Insider, Williams is worth over $180 million. In her 25-year pro career, the tennis veteran has accrued $92,720,122 in prize money from the Women’s Tennis Association. According to Forbes, this near $93 million is more than double any other female tennis player.
Like any professional sports icon, Williams collects the majority of her money from endorsement deals. This year alone, the tennis star earned $32 million from her brand deals. Back in 2004, Williams signed a $40 million deal to produce a custom fashion line for Nike.
Behind Nike, her biggest sponsors include Gatorade, Kraft Foods, Delta Air Lines, Pepsi, Beats by Dre, IBM, Intel and Chase Bank.
Ohanian has brought in his fair share as well.
The tech mogul co-founded Reddit back in 2005 with his business partner Steve Huffman. The two worked to build up the company over 16 months before selling it for somewhere between $10 and $20 million in 2006. The company is now worth over $3 billion.
Though Ohanian doesn’t get to share in the spoils as an owner, he was hired as the company’s executive chairman after the deal was finalized.
(Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images)
Ohanian stepped down from his position earlier this year to support the “Black Lives Matter” movement, asking Reddit to replace him with a person of color. His former company answered his call and appointed Michael Seibel.
Ohanian’s net worth as of this year is $9 million, bringing his and Williams’ total to around $189.
Early Life
Williams was born on Sep. 26, 1981 in Saginaw, Michigan to Richard and Oracene Williams. Serena was the youngest of five daughters, all of whom Richard believed were destined to become great tennis players.
Serena and her older sister Venus reached and far exceeded the expectations their father set for them. The two have combined for an incredible 30 total Grand Slam victories.
At the age of three, Williams and her family moved to Compton, California where she grew up. Her father would take her and Venus out to the tennis courts everyday to go through rigorous workouts. With little tennis experience of his own, Richard used what he saw from tennis books and videos to teach his daughters.
Learning on the cobbled courts of Compton helped the sisters gain an edge of toughness rarely seen in the often prim and proper game of tennis.
As a Black woman in the world of tennis, Williams has been shattering every barrier in her path for years. Her strenuous training growing up not only gave her the tools to exceed in the game of tennis — but to change it entirely.
Illustrious Career
Williams’ strength and athleticism was unlike anything tennis had ever seen when she burst onto the tour in 1995.
(Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
With a height of 5-foot-9 and a muscular weight of 155 lbs, Williams’ power is unmatched in the women’s game. Arguably the strongest asset in her game is her serve. Coming off her racquet at a blinding 105 mph, Williams’ serve is virtually unstoppable.
Williams’ dominance in the league has spanned for decades. The WTA has ranked her as the No. 1 player in the world eight different times between 2002 and 2017. Her longest span as the No. 1 ranked player lasted for 186 consecutive weeks, tying the record set by Steffi Graf.
Her 23 Grand Slam titles holds the record for most by any player in the Open Era and second most all-time in any era.
Counting doubles and mixed doubles titles, Williams has a whopping 39 career Grand Slam titles. Alongside her sister Venus, Williams has won 14 doubles Grand Slams. The two are undefeated as a pair.
Williams will go down in history as one of the greatest female athletes of all time — and she’s not done yet.
