Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. is the eldest daughter of Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian, and she’s been the apple of the couple’s eyes ever since she arrived earthside. Born on September 1, 2017, Olympia made Williams and Ohanian first-time parents, and both the tennis legend and Reddit co-founder have spoken about the rollercoaster ride that is parenthood.
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Prior to her retirement, Williams opened up about struggling to attain work-life balance and feeling mom guilt. “I felt like I was not a good mom,” the Grand Slam winner wrote on Instagram. She continued, “I work a lot, I train, and I’m trying to be the best athlete I can be. However, that means although I have been with her every day of my life, I’m not around as much as I would like to be,” Williams shared.
Even with the tough days, the mom of two is thankful for every moment. On Olympia’s second birthday, the most decorated woman tennis player of all time wrote on Instagram, “The last 2 years have been my greatest accomplishment.” Three years later, Williams told Vogue in September 2022, “While I was recovering from a hamstring injury, I got to pick her up from school four or five days a week, and I always looked forward to seeing her face light up when she walked out of the building and saw me waiting there for her.” She added, “The fact is that nothing is a sacrifice for me when it comes to Olympia.”
For his part, Ohanian credited fatherhood with helping him refine his leadership skills. “Becoming a papa made me gave me a path to become a better CEO,” the tech mogul tweeted in April 2023. He cited several ways fatherhood and business have overlapped in his experience, including Olympia having taught him to be more empathetic, adaptable, and open to learning. She’s clearly quite an inspiration for both her mom and dad!
Scroll on for everything we know about Olympia — she’s quite the little lady, and you may be surprised by a few of her interests and achievements.
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She Loves Being a Big Sister
In August 2023, Olympia’s dream of becoming a big sister came true when Adira River was born. A few months before giving birth, Williams told People, “Olympia’s fired up. No one’s more excited than her.” The mom of two added, “She’s been wanting this. She’s been praying and asking about this for quite some time, so she’s very ready.”
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She’s Shown an Interest in an Array of Hobbies
Image Credit: Jean Catuffe/GC Images. During a 2023 interview with People, Ohanian revealed some of Olympia’s favorite hobbies. “Mini golf was her thing a year or so ago, and then we got her proper golfing lessons, and she’s loved it.” He added, “On the creative side, she loves to dance.” The Reddit co-founder went on to muse that Olympia’s interests will continue to be a combination of arts and athletics.
On Instagram, both Williams and Ohanian have shared other hobbies Olympia has taken up, including soccer, ballet, drawing, piano, and horseback riding. Ohanian told People he and Williams are happy to nurture their daughter’s many curiosities. “Like any parent, we just want her to have fun, and we’re fortunate enough to be able to expose her to anything she could be interested in,” he said. “It’s already been an interesting journey, seeing the stuff she’s into. We don’t want to limit that.”
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She Doesn’t Share Her Mom’s Passion for Tennis
Image Credit: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images. While she’s shown interest in other sports, Olympia doesn’t share her mom’s passion for tennis. During a 2023 appearance on CBS News’ Person to Person with Norah O’Donnell, Williams shared, “[It’s] a little disappointing for me, but she’s actually really good at it.” Eager to explore Olympia’s talent, the mom of two added, “So we are trying to figure out a way to get her to play a little bit.”
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She Inherited One of Her Dad’s Interests
Image Credit: Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images. Among Olympia’s many interests, she’s taken a liking to gaming. Williams told People in 2022, “Her dad’s got her into VR [virtual reality]. Not sure how I feel about that,” she admitted before adding, “It’s the founder of Reddit, so that kind of makes sense.”
While the tennis icon tries to limit Olympia’s screen time, she also wants to encourage her affinity for digital games. Williams averred, “I think gaming is super important because I played a lot of games growing up. But it’s all balance. It’s really all about balance. As long as you have that balance, I think it’s okay.”
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She Appeared on the Cover of ‘Vogue’ at Just 5 Years Old
Image Credit: Jean Catuffe/Getty Images. At the ripe old age of 5, Olympia got her first Vogue cover. It doesn’t get much more legendary than that! The little girl appeared alongside her mom for the September 2022 issue of the iconic magazine — the very issue in which Williams announced her retirement from professional tennis and revealed she was trying for another baby.
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She’s Only Spent a Single Day Apart From Her Mom
Image Credit: Masato Onoda/WWD/Penske Media via Getty Images. In 2022, Williams told Vogue, “I’m also an incredibly hands-on mother. My husband will tell you I am too hands-on. In five years, Olympia has only spent one 24-hour period away from me.”
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Her Parents Created a Baby Doll Just For Her
Image Credit: Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images. Williams and Ohanian wanted to break the cycle of discrimination that’s perpetuated by a lack of racial representation in baby dolls, so they created Qai Qai for Olympia. “[It] was really important to us was to make sure that Olympia had a Black baby doll,” Ohanian told People in 2019.
After sharing their daughter’s adventures with Qai Qai on social media, the parents decided to create an account for the doll so she could reach other kids. Qai Qai quickly became famous on Instagram, and after her success online, the couple made the doll available for purchase so she could be a friend to children all over the world.
Qai Qai’s popularity has only grown — in 2022, Williams wrote her first children’s book, The Adventures of Qai Qai, and in 2023, the retired tennis pro revealed Qai Qai was getting a kids’ show as well.
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She Loves to Match Outfits With Her Mom
Image Credit: Steve Granitz/WireImage. One of Olympia’s favorite hobbies is being her mom’s fashion mini-me. Williams frequently shares photos on her Instagram of their matching looks, and the duo even twinned on the red carpet for the premiere of King Richard in 2021.
Olympia and Williams have even taken their copy-and-paste style to the court — in 2022, Olympia mimicked her mom’s sparkly look at the U.S. Open. Her hair was also styled in braids with white beads, paying homage to Williams’ hairstyle at her first U.S. Open in 1999.
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She Knows At Least One Member of the Royal Family
Image Credit: Al Bello/Getty Images. Ahead of her guest appearance on Meghan Markle’s podcast, Archetypes, Williams shared a photo of herself, Olympia, and the Duchess of Sussex on her Instagram. Williams has been a close friend of Meghan’s long before she married Prince Harry, and their friendship has endured in the years since the Sussexes left the royal family.
Considering her mom is best friends with Meghan, Olympia likely also knows Harry — and is probably playmates with the couple’s children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, who are both close to Olympia’s age.
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She’s the Youngest Person to Co-Own a Sports Team
Image Credit: Hannah Peters/Getty Images. In July 2020, Williams and Ohanian purchased stake in the National Women’s Soccer League Angel City Football Club in Olympia’s name, making her the youngest person to co-own a professional sports team. In 2023, they added to her portfolio by investing in the Los Angeles Golf Club on her behalf.
Of Olympia’s co-ownership role with the organizations, Ohanian told People in 2023, “Right now, all Olympia knows is that Angel City FC is our team, and she loves cheering for them.” He added, “I think as she gets older, maybe she’ll come to see the different layers to it.”
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She Has Her Own Instagram Account
Image Credit: Paul Kane/Getty Images. When Olympia was just a newborn, her parents created her own Instagram account. To this day, Williams and Ohanian run the account and regularly share photos and videos documenting Olympia’s life, from her travels to her hobbies to her outfits.
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Her Name Has More Than One Special Meaning
Image Credit: Richard Shiro/Getty Images. In addition to being named after her dad, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr.’s initials also have a special meaning. A few weeks after giving birth, Williams tweeted, “Fun fact my daughter’s initials are AO as in the Aussie Open she won with me.”
Just days before she competed in — and won — her 23rd Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open in 2017, Williams took six pregnancy tests to confirm she and Ohanian were having their first child.
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