Serena Williams’s family is growing!
The 41-year-old tennis prodigy is expecting her second child with her Reddit co-founder spouse Alexis Ohanian. The couple, who wed in November 2017, have a 5-year-old daughter named Olympia.
Williams made the announcement on Instagram on Monday, posting a slideshow of photos of herself and Ohanian. In one photo, Williams is holding her pregnant belly, and in another, the couple is beaming while standing next to one another.
The caption of the post read, “Was so thrilled when Anna Wintour invited the three of us to the Met Gala,” followed by a list of outfit, hair, and cosmetics details for the Met Gala.
The announcement of Williams’ pregnancy follows an essay she wrote for Vogue last year about her decision to begin an “evolution” away from tennis and her aspirations of expanding her family to four children.
Williams disclosed in the essay that she “never considered having children” when beginning her career.
“There have been instances when I’ve questioned whether I should bring children into this world with all of its problems. “I never felt confident or comfortable around babies or children, so I assumed that if I ever had a child, it would be cared for around the clock,” she explained.
Williams stated that she is an “extremely hands-on” mother to Olympia, despite having “a lot of support.”
“Olympia has only spent one 24-hour period away from me in the past five years.” This past year, while recovering from a hamstring injury, the four-time Olympic gold medalist picked up his daughter from school four or five days per week. “I always looked forward to seeing her face light up when she walked out of the building and saw me waiting for her,” he said. The truth is that I am willing to make no sacrifices for Olympia.
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Williams’ first birthing experience was difficult. The tennis champion underwent an emergency cesarean section, and after the birth, a coughing fit caused her wound to reopen, prompting physicians to discover multiple life-threatening blood clots in her body.
After the birth of her daughter, Williams told PEOPLE that although she felt fortunate to be alive, she spent six weeks recovering in bed while attempting to adapt to motherhood.
She stated, “Throughout my entire life, I have physically pushed my body to its limits.” “And in this one instance, I had no control over anything. I was unable to drive my body. My body exerted maximal effort. That was so difficult!
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In January 2021, Williams told PEOPLE that the happiness she has discovered in her husband and their daughter has had a profound influence on her.
She stated at the time, “It gives me a lot of reasons beyond what I do, so it’s very important.” I’ve devoted my entire existence to my career, but when I started a family and got married, I realized that there is so much more to life. And that was fantastic!”
She added, regarding her altered outlook on life not always proceeding as planned, “Not everything will be perfect, and not everything will be great. You cannot go anywhere with the expectation, “Oh, I’ll be perfect in everything.” I will win every contest. I will accomplish everything.'”
“It does not matter how often you tumble. It depends on how often you get up. That is most crucial. And it’s extremely beneficial to maintain this perspective,” she continued. “And that’s exactly what I’ve always said: a champion isn’t defined by how many victories they have, but by how they bounce back when they fall.”
