Alexis Ohanian - a white tech millionaire, has never watched a tennis match in his life. Serena Williams - a woman of color, one of the top 10 greatest tennis players in history, barely cares about social media.
Two individuals seemingly from entirely different worlds, thought they might just be passing strangers in life, but love, as it turns out, is a strange thing.
Italy and the fateful encounter
There's something many people often ponder: where will they meet the one they want to be with forever? Moments of chance encounters, from two individuals walking alone on a journey to bumping into each other on the street, are often romanticized on screen. Or it could just be as simple as changing a habit to meet the one you love, as Serena and Alexis once did.
In 2015, Serena came to Rome to participate in the Italian Open. She wasn't one for breakfast usually, but that day, Serena agreed to have breakfast at the Cavalieri hotel with her colleagues and manager. The buffet had ended five minutes before Serena's group arrived, so they could only sit by the pool area and order.
At the same time, Alexis Ohanian - the co-founder of the social media platform Reddit, was also staying at this hotel. He was in Italy for a global media conference. His focus then was finding a place to have coffee, put on his headphones, and concentrate on work. He happened to sit next to Serena's table.
This made Serena's group quite uncomfortable.
"Hmm, so many empty tables around, why did he come over here?" Serena thought to herself.
And a member of Serena's group decided to play a prank: "Hey buddy, there's a mouse under the table. Don't sit there!"
Contrary to expectations, Alexis remained calm and asked back, "Is there really a mouse here?"
At this point, Serena decided to be honest: "No, we just wanted you to move elsewhere, so we made that up. We intended to use that table."
"I'm from Brooklyn, so I see mice all the time."
"Oh, so you're not afraid of mice?"
"No!"
As a gesture of politeness, Serena invited Alexis to join them. At that moment, neither of them knew anything about each other. And perhaps, Serena and Alexis both didn't expect that their first conversation revolving around a mouse would be the beginning of their future love story.
Differences
Serena and Alexis didn't fall in love at first sight, that's natural.
When talking to the famous athlete of the sports world, Alexis simply thought, "She's beautiful and attractive." His five-year-long relationship just ended, so he wasn't ready to love anyone yet. Additionally, Alexis is a passionate fan of soccer and basketball. Despite sitting in front of the "Queen of Tennis," his admiration in his heart didn't increase much. Alexis admits he had never watched a tennis match in real life, not even glanced at it on TV; in fact, he even somewhat looked down upon the sport.
Serena, on the other hand, thought Alexis was paying attention to Jessica - another tennis player in the group. And throughout their time together, Serena only casually talked about Reddit, the platform he founded. Serena's list of boyfriends also includes many famous names, from rapper Common, Drake to legendary coach Patrick Mouratoglou. A handsome tech geek seemed not to fit into her dating dictionary.
Their next meeting was a month later in Paris, where Serena invited Alexis to watch her match at the French Open as a friend. What wasn't planned was both of them wandering together for 6 hours. And when passing by a candy stall at the Jardin des Plantes botanical garden, seeing Serena's excitement, Alexis bought her some. Alexis's care, Serena's humor, and the romantic atmosphere of the French capital sparked the silent blossoming of their love.
"This is the girl I want to marry"
Following subsequent dates, Alexis quickly knew Serena was the woman he wanted to marry. For Alexis, Serena helped him become the best version of himself. He thought he had worked hard enough, working 18 hours a day and often falling asleep on his laptop. Until he saw Serena practicing before each match. "She works harder than anyone in Silicon Valley," Alexis said.
According to Vanity Fair, Serena used to worry about hitting too many faults during practice sessions, so she decided to spend 3 hours to practice an additional 2,500 shots, redoing each one if it was a fault! "Serena's fierce desire to win and strong will are the inspiration that makes me strive harder in life to achieve success. And I realize that only when I'm with Serena, seeing her standards and way of life, do I suddenly want to become a better person." This is what Serena completely won over the heart of the one-year-younger millionaire.
On December 10, 2016, Alexis decided to propose to Serena at the place where he first met her: the Cavalieri hotel. Alexis had planned this for months to surprise the woman he loved.
According to the schedule, Serena would participate in an exhibition in India, so her manager suggested she stop over on her way back and spend a night at the Cavalieri. Unfortunately, the exhibition was suddenly canceled, and there was no reason for Serena to go to Italy. Moreover, she started training for the Australian Open, making it difficult to suggest a vacation.
How to get Serena to fly to Rome without suspicion?
Italy and the ending to a love story
Compared to the imagined portrayal of tech men, dry and rarely showing emotions, Alexis is an entirely different version. Or perhaps, love makes him want to do everything just to make his woman happy, like meticulously preparing a proposal to remember.
To surprise Serena, Alexis enlisted the help of her team members. Serena's assistant secretly packed luggage, and another person fabricated an important meeting to lure her to the airport. On the flight to Italy, Serena vaguely guessed the reason behind it. But what she didn't expect was that the man not only kneeled with a diamond ring, like in classic movie scenes, but also reserved the entire pool area. He even decorated it with flowers and placed a small plastic mouse on the table, reminiscent of the first day they met.
Who could refuse such sincerity?
Although engaged, the wedding was still far from the plan because Serena was still busy with her schedule. But just a few months later, before participating in a match in Australia, the "tennis queen" felt slight changes in her body. She decided to use a pregnancy test but forgot about it until her assistant saw the results. Right after that, the first thing Serena did was to go out and buy five more pregnancy tests.
And when Alexis received a call from Serena, saying he needed to come to Melbourne earlier than planned. Although not knowing the reason, Alexis immediately took the earliest flight, the only thing he thought was that something wasn't right related to Serena's health. When they met, Serena didn't say a word, just silently handed Alexis a bag containing six positive pregnancy tests.
This was truly shocking for both of them. Because Serena had no intention of giving up her flourishing tennis career. And Alexis wasn't mentally prepared to become a father.
Changing for each other
The reason for many breakups, most people in the relationship are pitifully answered: "Not compatible." But in love, whether compatible or not doesn't matter, what matters is being willing to change for each other.
For Alexis and Serena, the fields each passionately pursued were new horizons for the other. However, Alexis never forced Serena to choose. Despite not valuing tennis before, Alexis never missed any of his beloved woman's matches. In the stands, he cheered passionately like a true fan.
When Serena became pregnant, Alexis also embarked on the journey of fatherhood seriously. He bought a jar and put money into it anytime he inadvertently uttered a swear word. Alexis tried to change his bad habits; he wanted his child to grow up in a completely healthy environment.
And the woman who trained to the point of forgetting herself like Serena also came to realize that life still had many things to cherish. Alexis's love made her feel happy not only at the moment of touching the championship trophy but also from the small things. She loved the feeling of having a little life growing in her belly or sitting in front of the house chatting with Alexis.
"The happy black swans"
If one were to describe the wedding of tech millionaire Alexis and "tennis queen" Serena, there would be nothing but words like "grand," "lavish," and "extravagant." As the radiant bride stepped into the hall in a wedding dress worth $3.5 million. The banquet was named after the Grand Slam titles she had won in her career. And the space was filled with the sound of jazz music from the famous jazz band along with the renowned New Edition band.
At the age of 35, Serena is living her fullest days. Having experienced a radiant youth on the court, a newborn daughter, and a understanding companion. And the story behind the doors of the "world's top tennis player" is still filled with sweet moments that make others envious.
Alexis once erected four billboards on a street in California. One billboard bore the inscription "G.M.O.A.T", an abbreviation for "Greatest Mother of All Time." The other three boards respectively read "Mother," "Greatest," "Of All Time." Each billboard featured images of Serena Williams and their 5-month-old daughter Alexis Olympia. Or there were rumors that when Serena craved Italian food, Alexis took her there to enjoy the dishes she loved.
Perhaps, Alexis is the ideal model that any girl would want as a husband. Handsome, wealthy, and romantic. Many believe that meeting Alexis was Serena's stroke of luck. But above all, what drew Serena to Alexis was his passion for the sport she loved, more than skin color, beauty, or figure.
And the American tennis player also has a splendid career as one of the highest-earning athletes. She is also the face of many brands, with a significant place in the fashion industry, with an estimated total assets of $150 million.
The love story of Alexis and Serena seems too beautiful for a real-life love story. But look closer, to understand that in love, just knowing how to live for each other can overcome differences.