On Tuesday, tennis legend Serena Williams announced via Instagram the arrival of her baby girl, Adira River Ohanian, nearly a year following her last tennis match appearance. The 41-year-old icon and her husband, Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit, previously celebrated the birth of their first daughter, Olympia, in 2017.
Serena, boasting 23 Grand Slam singles titles and a career that reshaped tennis history, had given a hint of her pregnancy at the Met Gala in May. Her desire to expand her family was a significant factor she mentioned when declaring her impending retirement from professional tennis in August 2022.
In a heartfelt Vogue magazine essay by Williams in the previous year, she expressed, “It wasn’t easy choosing between tennis and family. It seems unjust. Had I been male, I’d still be on the court, victoriously playing, while my partner took on the journey of family expansion.”
Concluding her illustrious career, Serena participated in the 2022 US Open, marking her final tournament. She showcased her prowess by defeating second-seed Anett Kontaveit, making it to the third round in New York, before bowing out to Ajla Tomljanovic on September 3.
