Latest news with #InTheArena
Pink Villa
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
How many children does Serena Williams have? All about her pregnancy, family, husband and more
Serena Williams grew up in a bustling household of coaches, caretakers, and champions. Her parents, Richard Williams and Oracene Price, steered two future legends from Compton to Florida, curating rigorous routines that balanced schoolwork with tennis drills. Alongside half-sisters Yetunde, Lyndrea and Isha—and six more half-siblings from her father's side—Serena developed a tight-knit support system. In 2017, she married tech entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian, and together they have welcomed two daughters, Olympia and Adira, who now light up her life beyond any Grand Slam. From the parents who built her foundation to the next generation she's raising, here's everything we know. Richard Williams & Oracene Price: Parents who pioneered their path According to People, Richard Williams and Oracene Price met at a Los Angeles bus stop in 1979 and got married in 1980. The couple then had Venus in June 1980, and Serena in September 1981. Their dedication was clear from the start, as Richard drafted a 78-page blueprint aimed at Grand Slam glory and taught himself tennis techniques from VHS tapes. Meanwhile, Oracene ensured her girls stayed grounded. The family uprooted from Compton to West Palm Beach in 1991 to train under Rick Macci. After divorcing in 2002, both parents continued to champion their daughters: Richard through his memoir Black and White: The Way I See It (2014), and Oracene by focusing on the girls' mental health, 'you have to work on your mental strength,' as Venus told the cited magazine in 2022. How many siblings does Serena Williams have? Serena and Venus shared their childhood with three older half-sisters: Yetunde, Lyndrea and Isha. The girls were known to feed tennis balls and manage equipment for the star duo. However, Yetunde was tragically killed in a 2003 drive-by shooting. The event led to the creation of the Yetunde Price Resource Centre in Compton, which opened in 2016 to support community healing. The remaining Williams siblings have worked together on multiple projects as well, such as the movie King Richard and Venus's fashion line EleVen. Serena's other step-siblings include her father's five children from his first marriage—Sabrina, Richard III, Ronner, Reluss and Reneeka—plus Dylan and Chavoita from later relationships. Who Is Alexis Ohanian? Meet Serena's husband Serena wed Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian in November 2017, after a first date 'interrogation' led by her agent Jill Smoller. In the 2024 ESPN+ docuseries In The Arena, Ohanian stated that Smoller had 'bombarded him with questions,' and his earnest answers finally won her approval. Today, Ohanian leads venture firm Seven Seven Six, advocating for causes such as paid family leave and youth for climate change mitigation. Their shared advocacy for equality mirrors Serena's drive to break barriers. Serena on motherhood: Balancing parenting and legacy Serena Williams first discovered she was pregnant just before the 2017 Australian Open, though that did not stop her from winning the tournament. She later told Vanity Fair the news had left her stunned, stating her heart 'literally dropped,' as she was scheduled to play. In September 2017, Williams gave birth via emergency C-section and faced serious complications, telling People it was the first time she 'couldn't control' her body. Fortunately, her first daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., was born without further incident. In a later episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Serena shared that her now seven-year-old Olympia had begun to show a flair for fashion and piano. Years later, the couple was blessed with their second child, Adira River Ohanian, in August 2023. Adira, who is nearly two now, carries a name with Biblical roots that means 'strong one.' Serena has also stated to the magazine that her daughters taught her 'there's so much more to life' than sport—an encore no trophy could ever match.
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
In the Arena: Serena Williams review – there is just no one in the world that matches up to her (and her sister)
Serena Williams, holder of 39 grand slam titles and four Olympic gold medals, who spent 319 weeks as tennis's world No 1 and became the highest-earning female athlete in history, never thought she was that good when she was a young player. That was because she was always training against her older sister, Venus ('she was the prodigy of prodigies'), the only person in the world who could really challenge her. A year younger, Serena remembers being shorter and weaker and resorting to cheating on line calls at practice so she could occasionally beat her. In the Arena: Serena Williams (the title comes from President Roosevelt's 1910 speech to the Sorbonne – 'It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena' so, yes, consider me told) is an eight-part docuseries that covers Serena's rise and rise over her 27-year tennis career before she retired three years ago. Since then, incidentally, she has been busy with her venture capital firm, production company, body care and pain relief startup, beauty line and raising two children. Honestly, it's like looking in a mirror, is it not? Advertisement In the Arena was executive produced by Serena and is clearly meant to be the definitive version of events. It would be too strong to call it hagiographic, but it is a full-blooded celebration of her achievements. It is not the place to come if you want, for example, an interrogation of the techniques used by the sisters' astonishing father and coach, Richard Williams, to mould two champions. 'My dad was a marketing genius,' says Serena of his marshalling of press attention round his children in the early years, regardless, some might say and have said, of the psychological impact. 'There's a very thin line between parent and coach … But I would say at the end it was all worth it,' is as far as Serena goes here in acknowledging the criticism Richard has faced for his intense focus on their professional success. Then it's on to the good stuff. The sisters turning pro – Venus flying from the start, Serena stumbling slightly before she too took off. The beating of rivals and established stars ('I was determined, determined to take her down … I'm coming for you. I'm coming for everyone') and their swift domination of a game that had hitherto been almost solely the preserve of a white, moneyed elite. 'Little sisters from Compton. Can't really take that too seriously, right?' Inevitably, of course, they begin to meet in grand slam finals. The footage – the grace, the power of them – is astonishing. Almost as astonishing, if in a gradually emerging way, is the grace with which they handle the competition between them, the wins and the losses. Serena talks about benefiting from Venus going first in everything, from turning pro, to handling good and bad press, to playing individuals Serena will later face in tournaments. They talk with sincerity about being pleased for each other's wins even as they mourn and analyse their own losses. And they talk about the bifurcation between life as sisters and life as absolutely dedicated competitors and not letting either one infect the other. They warmed up together before their first joint grand slam final, the 2001 US Open. Venus won. 'I can't say I enjoyed it. I did what I had to do.' 'I wasn't happy,' adds Serena. 'But I was OK. She was the phenom. It was never me.' Her turn would come. She learned to pretend she was playing someone else when it was Venus on the other side of the net. By the time Wimbledon rolled round a year later, she was ready to be No 1. 'I gotta have it,' Serena grins, remembering. 'That's what I need in my life. Because it's just an extension of who I was. As Thanos says: I was inevitable. I couldn't stop the roll.' Advertisement Nor could anyone – including the haters behind the racial and misogynist abuse she dealt with – or anything, including the difficult birth of her first child, in 2017, which nearly killed her. She retired in 2022, and plunged straight into what is already a highly successful and lucrative second act. It would be fascinating to compare and contrast another pair of sisters or – perhaps even more fascinatingly – a pair of brothers who followed the same trajectory. Would they have stayed so close, maintained the same boundaries between love and work, or would they have disappeared under the pressure of competition? Would they have spurred each other on to greater heights in the same way, or destroyed each other? Would they remain such generous supporters of each other, or have combusted by now? What makes the mind not just of a champion – but of a champion who survives the ride intact? Maybe one day we'll find out. But there is as yet nothing to compare to Serena or to Venus separately, let alone together. • In the Arena: Serena Williams airs on BBC One and is on iPlayer now
The Guardian
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
In the Arena: Serena Williams review – there is just no one in the world that matches up to her (and her sister)
Serena Williams, holder of 39 grand slam titles and four Olympic gold medals, who spent 319 weeks as tennis's world No 1 and became the highest-earning female athlete in history, never thought she was that good when she was a young player. That was because she was always training against her older sister, Venus ('she was the prodigy of prodigies'), the only person in the world who could really challenge her. A year younger, Serena remembers being shorter and weaker and resorting to cheating on line calls at practice so she could occasionally beat her. In the Arena: Serena Williams (the title comes from President Roosevelt's 1910 speech to the Sorbonne – 'It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena' so, yes, consider me told) is an eight-part docuseries that covers Serena's rise and rise over her 27-year tennis career before she retired three years ago. Since then, incidentally, she has been busy with her venture capital firm, production company, body care and pain relief startup, beauty line and raising two children. Honestly, it's like looking in a mirror, is it not? In the Arena was executive produced by Serena and is clearly meant to be the definitive version of events. It would be too strong to call it hagiographic, but it is a full-blooded celebration of her achievements. It is not the place to come if you want, for example, an interrogation of the techniques used by the sisters' astonishing father and coach, Richard Williams, to mould two champions. 'My dad was a marketing genius,' says Serena of his marshalling of press attention round his children in the early years, regardless, some might say and have said, of the psychological impact. 'There's a very thin line between parent and coach … But I would say at the end it was all worth it,' is as far as Serena goes here in acknowledging the criticism Richard has faced for his intense focus on their professional success. Then it's on to the good stuff. The sisters turning pro – Venus flying from the start, Serena stumbling slightly before she too took off. The beating of rivals and established stars ('I was determined, determined to take her down … I'm coming for you. I'm coming for everyone') and their swift domination of a game that had hitherto been almost solely the preserve of a white, moneyed elite. 'Little sisters from Compton. Can't really take that too seriously, right?' Inevitably, of course, they begin to meet in grand slam finals. The footage – the grace, the power of them – is astonishing. Almost as astonishing, if in a gradually emerging way, is the grace with which they handle the competition between them, the wins and the losses. Serena talks about benefiting from Venus going first in everything, from turning pro, to handling good and bad press, to playing individuals Serena will later face in tournaments. They talk with sincerity about being pleased for each other's wins even as they mourn and analyse their own losses. And they talk about the bifurcation between life as sisters and life as absolutely dedicated competitors and not letting either one infect the other. They warmed up together before their first joint grand slam final, the 2001 US Open. Venus won. 'I can't say I enjoyed it. I did what I had to do.' 'I wasn't happy,' adds Serena. 'But I was OK. She was the phenom. It was never me.' Her turn would come. She learned to pretend she was playing someone else when it was Venus on the other side of the net. By the time Wimbledon rolled round a year later, she was ready to be No 1. 'I gotta have it,' Serena grins, remembering. 'That's what I need in my life. Because it's just an extension of who I was. As Thanos says: I was inevitable. I couldn't stop the roll.' Nor could anyone – including the haters behind the racial and misogynist abuse she dealt with – or anything, including the difficult birth of her first child, in 2017, which nearly killed her. She retired in 2022, and plunged straight into what is already a highly successful and lucrative second act. It would be fascinating to compare and contrast another pair of sisters or – perhaps even more fascinatingly – a pair of brothers who followed the same trajectory. Would they have stayed so close, maintained the same boundaries between love and work, or would they have disappeared under the pressure of competition? Would they have spurred each other on to greater heights in the same way, or destroyed each other? Would they remain such generous supporters of each other, or have combusted by now? What makes the mind not just of a champion – but of a champion who survives the ride intact? Maybe one day we'll find out. But there is as yet nothing to compare to Serena or to Venus separately, let alone together. In the Arena: Serena Williams airs on BBC One and is on iPlayer now
