Entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian shared a photo accompanied by words of admiration for his veteran tennis player wife Serena Williams on the occasion of her 40th birthday on September 26th.
On his personal page, Serena's husband shared a black and white photo capturing a moment where the two looked into each other's eyes, writing: "one @serenawilliams is one of a kind - grateful for every moment with this amazing wife and mother of Olympia." Serena has not shared any photos marking her new age, but two days prior, she posted excited jumping shots on the beach with her daughter and a friend. Sources in the US revealed Serena went on a combined vacation and work trip to Puerto Rico.
The 38-year-old entrepreneur and former world number one tennis player tied the knot in 2017 and have a four-year-old daughter. On September 13th, the 40-year-old couple walked the red carpet at the Met Gala. In an interview back in May, Alexis Ohanian praised his wife for her ability to balance work and family life. Serena often comfortably shares her tennis career and her young daughter, seldom mentioning her husband. However, the veteran tennis player once revealed that entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian respects and supports her unconditionally. Serena's husband is the co-founder of the social media platform Reddit.
Serena has crossed the milestone age of forty in her marriage but hasn't found joy in her career after failing at the Australian Open, Roland Garros, and a Wimbledon cut short due to injury, followed by her absence from this year's US Open. Her most recent career victory was at the Auckland Open in January last year. The future of the 40-year-old mother's tennis career remains uncertain.
On the occasion of Serena's birthday, Patrick Mouratoglou - the longtime French coach collaborator with her - praised his protege as the greatest tennis player despite not yet equaling Margaret Court's record of 24 Grand Slam titles. Patrick shared with AFP: "Margaret Court played at a time when three-quarters of the players didn't even come to Australia (for the Australian Open), when tennis was still an amateur sport, and tournaments had only 16 players. I don't mean to belittle Margaret Court, but that was in a different era. Yes, it would be better if Serena broke her record, but if she doesn't, she's still the greatest player of all time."
In addition to her 23 Grand Slam singles titles, Serena and her sister Venus have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together. Venus is still competing, albeit not as successfully as before. Coincidentally, Serena's current ranking is also 40, matching her age. The most recent Grand Slam victory for the Williams sisters was at the 2017 Australian Open when Serena was in her early stages of pregnancy with Olympia. Since then, Serena has reached four Grand Slam finals but has been unsuccessful.
Coach Patrick Mouratoglou affirmed that Serena still has a desire to win, but since becoming a mother, everything has become more difficult because prioritizing being a mother comes above all else. Age and injuries have somewhat affected the achievements of the veteran tennis player. The French coach said Serena has changed tennis throughout her 26-year career. Alongside her sister Venus, Serena opened new doors for players of color. The Williams sisters were a "nightmare" for opponents for a long time. The 40-year-old tennis player also created business opportunities for her female colleagues as she herself became a phenomenon in the tennis world, attracting many endorsement deals.