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\n Related: <\/span>Serena Williams: Daughter Olympia’s Lack of Tennis Interest Is ‘Disappointing’<\/span><\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\t\t\tElla Ling\/Shutterstock Her own path. Serena Williams revealed that her 5-year-old daughter, Olympia, doesn\u2019t \u201cactually like to play tennis\u201d as much as expected. \u201cThat\u2019s a little disappointing for me, but she\u2019s actually really good at it,\u201d Williams, 41, shared during an appearance on CBS News\u2019 Person to Person With Norah O\u2019Donnell on Tuesday, February 28. [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Williams has been open about how motherhood shifted her lifestyle. In an essay for Vogue<\/em><\/a> in 2022, the Golden Slam champion announced her retirement from tennis to focus on being a mom.<\/p>\n\u201cBelieve me, I never wanted to have to choose between tennis and a family. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s fair. If I were a guy, I wouldn\u2019t be writing this because I\u2019d be out there playing and winning while my wife was doing the physical labor of expanding our family,\u201d she wrote. \u201cMaybe I\u2019d be more of a Tom Brady if I had that opportunity. Don\u2019t get me wrong: I love being a woman, and I loved every second of being pregnant with Olympia. I was one of those annoying women who adored being pregnant and was working until the day I had to report to the hospital\u2014although things got super complicated on the other side. And I almost did do the impossible: A lot of people don\u2019t realize that I was two months pregnant when I won the Australian Open in 2017. But I\u2019m turning 41 this month, and something\u2019s got to give.\u201d<\/p>\n
Williams went on to say that she cries thinking about the word retirement and prefers a different term.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe the best word to describe what I\u2019m up to is evolution. I\u2019m here to tell you that I\u2019m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She continued, \u201cThere is no happiness in this topic for me. I know it\u2019s not the usual thing to say, but I feel a great deal of pain. It\u2019s the hardest thing that I could ever imagine. I hate it. I hate that I have to be at this crossroads. I keep saying to myself, I wish it could be easy for me, but it\u2019s not. I\u2019m torn: I don\u2019t want it to be over, but at the same time I\u2019m ready for what\u2019s next.\u201d<\/p>\n\n![\"Serena-Williams-Shares-New-Photos-of-Daughter-Olympia-And-Shes-All-Grown-Up-1\"](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Serena-Williams-Shares-New-Photos-of-Daughter-Olympia-And-Shes-All-Grown-Up-1.jpg?w=1000&quality=40&strip=all\")
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\n Olympia Ohanian in a recent Instagram post.<\/span> Courtesy of Serena Williams\/Instagram<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nWilliams went on to welcome Adira with Ohanian<\/a>, 42, in August 2023 and has since been focused on her children and her business ventures \u2014 including her investment firm, Serena Ventures, beauty line Wyn and production company Nine Two Six.<\/p>\n\u201cTennis is [played] every day, you have to do it every day. You have to train, and business is the same,\u201d Williams told CNBC Make It<\/em><\/a> in June. \u201cIt is exactly the same. You have to be very disciplined. You also have to be determined through ups and downs, be determined to keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
\u201cBelieve me, I never wanted to have to choose between tennis and a family. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s fair. If I were a guy, I wouldn\u2019t be writing this because I\u2019d be out there playing and winning while my wife was doing the physical labor of expanding our family,\u201d she wrote. \u201cMaybe I\u2019d be more of a Tom Brady if I had that opportunity. Don\u2019t get me wrong: I love being a woman, and I loved every second of being pregnant with Olympia. I was one of those annoying women who adored being pregnant and was working until the day I had to report to the hospital\u2014although things got super complicated on the other side. And I almost did do the impossible: A lot of people don\u2019t realize that I was two months pregnant when I won the Australian Open in 2017. But I\u2019m turning 41 this month, and something\u2019s got to give.\u201d<\/p>\n
Williams went on to say that she cries thinking about the word retirement and prefers a different term.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe the best word to describe what I\u2019m up to is evolution. I\u2019m here to tell you that I\u2019m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She continued, \u201cThere is no happiness in this topic for me. I know it\u2019s not the usual thing to say, but I feel a great deal of pain. It\u2019s the hardest thing that I could ever imagine. I hate it. I hate that I have to be at this crossroads. I keep saying to myself, I wish it could be easy for me, but it\u2019s not. I\u2019m torn: I don\u2019t want it to be over, but at the same time I\u2019m ready for what\u2019s next.\u201d<\/p>\n Williams went on to welcome Adira with Ohanian<\/a>, 42, in August 2023 and has since been focused on her children and her business ventures \u2014 including her investment firm, Serena Ventures, beauty line Wyn and production company Nine Two Six.<\/p>\n \u201cTennis is [played] every day, you have to do it every day. You have to train, and business is the same,\u201d Williams told CNBC Make It<\/em><\/a> in June. \u201cIt is exactly the same. You have to be very disciplined. You also have to be determined through ups and downs, be determined to keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>
\n Olympia Ohanian in a recent Instagram post.<\/span> Courtesy of Serena Williams\/Instagram<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n