The duo served up a sweet mother-daughter moment at the U.S. Open on Aug. 29.
Serena Williams' daughter is quickly edging out her husband to be her biggest fan, and she's showing her mom support in the sweetest way. On Monday, the tennis icon began her last-ever U.S. Open with her 4-year-old daughter cheering from the stands, twinning with her mom in a matching outfit and a head full of familiar white beads.
Fans of the 23-time Grand Slam champion will recall that Serena had the same braided style when she first won the U.S. Open in 1999.
"It was either her wear beads or me," Serena told reporters during a post-match interview. "I wanted to do it, but I just didn't have the time. She asks to wear beads a lot. It actually wasn't my idea, but I was so happy when she had them on. It's perfect on her."
The 40-year-old arrived at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing, New York in a black, embellished bodice and tutu skirt by Nike, with the brand noting the sparkles were "inspired by the night sky above center court." The outfit also originally contained six layers to represent her six U.S. Open singles titles, but as Serena told Gayle King in a post-match interview, she "took four out because it was too heavy."
Serena also rocked a pair of shoes from Nike and her brand Serena Williams Jewelry that featured 1.5-carat solid gold deubrés that spelled out "mama" and "queen," reminding spectators that there's more to the tennis star's legacy than her numerous trophies.
Online fans were quick to notice Serena and Olympia's matching looks, gushing over how sweet the gesture was during what is most likely the tennis pro's final tournament.
Olympia sat with her father, Alexis Ohanian, her aunt, Isha Price, and grandmother Oracene Price as she watched her mom walk away with the win, beating Danka Kovinić 6-3, 6-3 in the first match of what is expected to be Serena's final professional tennis tournament.
The match featured quite the star-studded crowd, including Anna Wintour, Bill Clinton, Queen Latifah, Anthony Anderson, Hugh Jackman, Mike Tyson and more, all on hand to see Serena at the first match of her farewell tour.
Next up, Serena is set to play No. 2 seed Anett Kontaveit of Estonia on Wednesday. While the win means she advances to the next round, she also has her first doubles match of the tournament on Wednesday with her sister, Venus Williams -- though Serena would not confirm whether this will be the last time fans see the sisters on the court as a doubles duo.
Earlier this month, Serena announced her intention to retire from the sport, and while she didn't officially use that word, she did share that she is "evolving away from tennis."
"I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me," Serena shared in a first-person account published in Vogue's September 2022 issue. "A few years ago, I quietly started Serena Ventures, a venture capital firm. Soon after that, I started a family. I want to grow that family."
Serena welcomed her first child with her husband in 2017. The Grand Slam winner detailed how the youngster prays for a baby sister and often says she wants to be a big sister -- something Serena and Alexis have been planning for. "In the last year, Alexis and I have been trying to have another child, and we recently got some information from my doctor that put my mind at ease and made me feel that whenever we’re ready, we can add to our family," she said. "I definitely don’t want to be pregnant again as an athlete. I need to be two feet into tennis or two feet out."
And after all she's been through, it's looking like Serena is taking both feet off the court.
"The way I see it, I should have had 30-plus grand slams. I had my chances after coming back from giving birth. I went from a C-section to a second pulmonary embolism to a grand slam final," she candidly recalled. "I played while breastfeeding. I played through postpartum depression. But I didn’t get there. Shoulda, woulda, coulda. I didn’t show up the way I should have or could have. But I showed up 23 times, and that’s fine. Actually, it’s extraordinary. But these days, if I have to choose between building my tennis résumé and building my family, I choose the latter."
For more on Serena and her legacy, check out the video below.
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