We relish hearing a good love story and Tennis superstar Serena Williams and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian has one of the best ones. Both of them were established in their careers and note that they weren’t looking for “love”.
Well, either way, they found it even when living in different worlds, the couple managed to maintain a relationship that was both private and happy. After years of silence, Serena and Alexis are finally ready to give us all the inside details into their relationship and how we can learn from them!
Meet-cute.
As you read through their love story, you will realize that it reads like a script of a romantic comedy but what the couple never experienced was love at first sight, actually, it was quite the opposite.
The first met in 2015 by chance at the Hotel Cavalieri Hilton in Rome, where Ohanian sat down at the table next to Williams. Used to the attention, Wiliams and her friends tried to get Alexis to move by convincing him there was a rat at his table! Thankfully, their tactics didn’t work and Alexis was more amused by it all than anything.
Personal bubbles
With both Willaims and Ohanian having famous careers, you would think the couple would already have met but Williams had, in fact, never heard of Reddit before, and Ohanian had never watched a tennis match on television or in real life!
Can you imaging living in a world where you didn’t know who Serena Willaims was? The horror! Even so, as the two got closer, Ohanian did agree to come to a match later that week. He knew so little about the sport that the first photo he shared publicly of Williams shows her hitting the court.
First date
Williams and Ohanian’s first official date took place before the French Open in June 2015 and yes, they did work it around Williams training sessions. Serena took charge of the date and invited Ohanian to Paris.
The dating couple squeezed in a weekend getaway in-between their busy schedules and rather than planning elaborate dinners, just walked around the city of Paris for six hours before Serena had to go back to work!
Past relationships
While the relationship was unexpected, both Willaims and Ohanian were serious about their significant others. Alexis had just ended a five-year relationship with his college sweetheart, microbiologist Sabriya Stukes.
While Williams and rapper Drake were spotted having dinner together in Cincinnati. Drake was also in the stands at the US Open in September. Rumours that the two were dating lingered throughout that year, but Williams insisted they were just friends and called Drake her “lucky charm.”
Dating in secret
The pair secretly dated for nearly 15 months before they finally went public with their engagement announcement. They were so good at keeping their relationship under wraps that there was only one report about the two having lunch that emerged in October 2015.
After their engagement, Alexis shared a photo from the match captioned “Come at the queen, you best not miss. #USOpen.” Ohanian soon became a fixture at Williams’ matches, often showing up in the stands to watch her play.
Staying Normal
While Ohanian didn’t mind talking to the media, Williams was still keeping quiet about their relationship, at least on social media. Ohanian first appeared in one of her photos (but among a big group of friends) in August 2016. She referred to him as a “nerd” in the caption.
Everybody had to wait even longer to see their first photo together which was in November 2016. The couple wore matching bear-themed outfits to a costume party and were beaming at the camera.
They got engaged.
At the time, the public had no details about their relationship or dating life but months later, Ohanian opened up about it all, “I felt like a door had been opened to a person who made me want to be my best self,” Ohanian told Vanity Fair.
So, in December 2016, Ohanian planned a picture-perfect proposal: Flying Williams out to where they met: the Rome Cavalieri hotel in Rome, he set up a trail of rose petals leading to the spot where they first met, complete with a plastic rat on the hotel table. Of course, we know that Williams said “Yes.”
Announcement
Williams announced the engagement on Reddit. She had Ohanian draw her a customized version of Reddit’s alien logo “Snoo” and called herself the “future Mrs Kn0thing” (Kn0thing is Ohanian’s Reddit username).
Williams composed a poem to go along with the announcement: “I came home/A little late/Someone had a bag packed for me/And a carriage awaited/Destination: Rome/To escort me to my very own “charming”/Back to where our stars first collided/And now it was full circle/At the same table we first met by chance/This time he made it not by chance/But by choice/Down on one knee/He said 4 words/And/r/isaidyes.” Ohanian responded: “And you made me the happiest man on the planet.”
Over Joyed
How to do you beat your fiancee writing a beautiful poem for you on your own platform that you created? Well, you keep things simple and neat. Ohanian responded: “And you made me the happiest man on the planet.”
At the time, a source told E! News that they had “never seen Serena this happy before with a man. It sounds cheesy, but it is real love. They laugh non-stop and that really fuels their relationship.”
Shocking pregnancy
In the week leading up to the Australian Open in January 2017, Williams found she was unexpectedly pregnant. Determined to compete as planned, Williams famously went to win her 23rd Grand Slam title while roughly eight weeks pregnant.
Ohanian flew to Australia to cheer her on and learned the big news right before the tournament began. Williams then went on to win the Australian Open while she was eight weeks pregnant.
Perfect Timing
The media had no idea that Williams was expecting, it was a complete surprise when later the tennis star shared a photo of her growing baby bump on Ohanian’s birthday, along with a touching note to the baby.
“My Dearest Baby, You gave me the strength I didn’t know I had. You taught me the true meaning of serenity and peace. I can’t wait to meet you. I can’t wait for you to join the player’s box next year. But most importantly, I am so happy to share being number one in the world with you…. once again today. On @alexisohanian bday. ? from the world’s oldest number one to the world’s youngest number one. -Your Mommy”
PDA
As the years have gone by, the couple has slowly become accustomed to showing off their love. Ohanian’s Instagram is full of sweet snaps where he calls Williams his “#WCW, every day.”
They even attended the Annual Met Gala In May 2017, which is as close to an official “we are together” as the public gets in Hollywood. We don’t have to point out that they looked stunning but well, they really do!
They kept the baby’s sex a surprise.
We love that the parents decided to keep the gender a secret, even from themselves. No gender reveal parties for these two, thankfully! The proud parents had initially been split on their prediction about the baby’s sex.
Ohanian had thought it would be a boy, while Williams thought it would be a girl. On September 1, 2017, it turned out Williams was right. They call the baby Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr.. Williams unveiled photos of the baby on her Instagram two weeks later, along with the baby’s name: Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr.
Williams’ childbirth complications
When Serena Williams gave birth to Alexis Olympia, it was anything but smooth. The tennis champion was rushed to an emergency C-section, and after the delivery, a coughing fit made her wound to reopen.
Williams was also already prone to blood clots and that was why she was concerned that she might experience a pulmonary embolism. She pushed for a CT scan, which revealed multiple blood blots in her lungs. She spent several days in the hospital recovering.
Social Causes
Since the birth of their daughter, Ohanian has become an advocate for paternity leave. In a 2019 New York Times op-ed, he explained why it was so important that he took paid leave following Olympia’s birth. “I took my full 16 weeks and I’m still ambitious and care about my career. Talk to your bosses and tell them I sent you,” Ohanian wrote.
“I took my full 16 weeks and I’m still ambitious and care about my career. Talk to your bosses and tell them I sent you,” Ohanian wrote. He also started a new podcast called “Business Dad,” where he interviews other celebrity dads, like “Patriot Act” host Hasan Minhaj and retired NBA star, Chris Bosh.
Working Parents
Ohanian is also the co-founder of a venture capital firm, Initialized Capital, which has $500 million in assets under management. The early-stage fund has invested in more than 200 companies and says women make up half of its investing team.
For her part, Williams hasn’t slowed down professionally. In January 2020, Williams won the ASB classic, her first singles title since the 2017 Australian Open (and her first since Olympia was born).
Growing up in the public
The days of a shy social media couple are gone and over the last few years, not only has the couple embraced the public interest but also so has their little daughter. At just a few years old, Olympia has already become a social media star in her own right.
She has her own Instagram account — and there’s even one for her doll, Qai Qai. Yep, that isn’t a typo! Olympia frequently attends her mom’s matches. Here she is watching her mom play with her doll.
Planning The Wedding
In November 2017, Ohanian and Williams got married at the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans. “The venue — the Contemporary Arts Center of New Orleans — was a decision we both made,” Williams told Vogue. “Painting and art is something I’m really passionate about, so it just felt natural and different to do it at a contemporary art museum.”
The wedding was inspired by Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast.” The guest list included Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian, Kelly Rowland, Ciara, Eva Longoria, and of course, Venus Williams.
Happily Ever After
After the birth of their baby, Williams and Ohanian tied the knot in November 2017. Williams wanted her wedding to be as non-traditional as possible. She glowed in an Alexander McQueen gown plus $3.5 million worth of jewellery.
Ohanian handsomely sported an Armani suit as the couple exchanged personally written vows. Following the same route as with most of their relationship, they didn’t publically announce that they were married until days after it happened.
Marvellous gestures
Every relationship article or advice will tell you to always appreciate your partner and looks like these two already know it. We not only love this gesture because it is so over the top but also adore all the pictures.
In February 2018, Ohanian designed and bought four billboards to welcome his wife back to tennis after she gave birth to their daughter. Not just that, just ahead of their wedding, Ohanian rented out an entire movie theatre so the family could watch “Thor: Ragnarok” together.
Declaration of love
Ohanian isn’t the only one professing his love proudly, Serena does the same. She broke her strict rule of never openly discussing her relationship unless for a major event to give us a sneak-peek into her marriage.
“He’s my rock my backbone, my love. I am so lucky to have found this wonderful man that treats me better than a queen,” she wrote on Instagram at the end of 2017. “I love you, Alexis. You make me excited to wake up every morning knowing I’ll get to see you.”
Well-Settled
After their wedding, Williams, Ohanian, and their daughter now live in a $6.7 million home in Beverly Hills, California. The couple reportedly has a combined net worth of more than $189 million.
With such large net worth, they are both very mindful of giving large sums to charities. Williams is also Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and has done extensive charity work with the organization since 2006. She has also established the “Yetunde Price Nursing Scholarship” in association with the California Community Foundation.
They always have a great time together.
The duo has done what most Hollywood couples aren’t able to do, they have created a balanced persona, which allows them to have the privacy they need with a happy and wholesome public image.
They give the world just enough of a glimpse into their lives that they are not hounded by the media. The couple attended the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on May 19 2018. They shared photos captured from the royal wedding with no signs of anything but love, here.