Speaking at Business Insider’s IGNITION conference in New York, Serena Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian commented on how his perception towards tennis changed since he met Serena, whom he married in November 2017.
The couple is parents to a daughter, Alexis Olympia who was born in September 2017. “I played team sports my entire life and I thought tennis was a joke of a sport. I thought it was something people did for giggles when they wanted to get a little exercise.
I would change the channel when it came on,” confessed Ohanian. The Reddit co-founder added: “I was so naive and so wrong and my entire mindset of sport… no matter what day I was having, there were 10 other guys on the field or four other guys on the court who were there to help me out because it was team-based.
To take rejection and defeat and to be able to find that next gear and that higher level is something she has turned into an artform and is unparalleled at. That is a mental strength that doesn’t get enough credit in sport.
The mental strength it requires when you are alone out there with just one other person combined with the mental reset that is required between every serve is unmatched in terms of physical strength required to be great. That universal truth I see it in the beauty of the sport but not just when she’s playing it, also in the preparation leading up to it.”
Williams who returned to the Tour after giving birth to her daughter has reached four Major finals (2018 Wimbledon and US Open, and 2019 Wimbledon and US Open).
Venus Williams Reveals Her Best Friend On The WTA Tour
We have seen Venus Williams have a great relationship with almost everybody on the WTA Tour but who’s her best friend on the Tour? Venus gave an answer to this very question in a recent Q&A session she conducted on YouTube.
Venus Williams Says That Serena Is Her Best Friend
Recently, Venus Williams had a Q&A session on Youtube where she answered many questions posed to her by fans. One fan asked her who her good friend on the WTA Tour was, apart from Serena. Venus replied,
“I love everybody on the WTA tour but Serena, especially, is my best friend and my doubles’ partner.”
I don’t think anyone expected Venus Williams to say anything else. She and Serena are very close as sisters and have also done very well as a team. Apart from their singles’ achievements, they have won 14 Grand Slams and 2 Olympic Gold medals in women’s doubles, which are all absolutely amazing achievements.
We haven’t seen the amazing doubles’ pair play since the 2018 French Open where they lost in the third round. They were supposed to pair up again in 2019 at Indian Wells, but sadly, Serena retired due to a viral illness. Now, we won’t have the chance to see the doubles’ pair again for a while thanks to the coronavirus pandemic.
The global health crisis has forced the WTA Tour’s suspension till July. However, that is assuming that the virus is contained by then. Looking at the current situation, that does not seem likely as the number of cases is increasing daily. If the situation does not improve soon, it is likely we will not see any tennis in 2020.
I am sure no tennis fan wants that. Serena and Venus Williams certainly do not want that. I am sure they want to play doubles together again and possibly win one last Grand Slam before they both retire from tennis.
