Serena Williams says daughter Olympia is "a wild girl" and "an extension of herself"
Serena Williams recently opened up about her daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr, describing how the three-year-old is similar to herself. The 23-time Grand Slam champion believes that she and her daughter are 'wild' people, which for her is a good thing.
Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr, or Olympia as her mother calls her, was born on 1 September 2017. Serena Williams was famously carrying Olympia when she won the 2017 Australian Open title, leading many to jokingly label the three-year-old a Grand Slam champion already.
On a recent chat show called Good Morning America, Serena Williams explained why she thinks her daughter is an ‘extension’ of herself.
"I have a wild girl and she is kind of an extension of myself,” Serena said. “I was a wild girl too. I like to have fun and I feel that being wild is not a bad thing.”
According to Serena a ‘wild’ person is more inquisitive than normal, while also being willing to explore their interests more actively.
“To me, being wild means showing your curiosity, which I find it very important to find out who you are,” Serena added. “My advice to parents who find themselves raising a wild child is to hug your wild child.”
I’m not going to throw Olympia on the tennis court: Serena Williams
Serena Williams had a strict upbringing that saw her receive tennis lessons from the age of four under her father’s watchful eyes. The 39-year-old believes that playing tennis from an early age helped her channel and focus her ‘wildness’ on the sport.
However, Serena Williams doesn't want to put her daughter Olympia through a similar process.
“I think my parents allowed me to unleash my wildness and daring just by throwing myself on the tennis court,” said Williams. “With me, for Olympia, it probably won't be the same. I'm not going to throw her on the tennis court, but I feel it's good for her to find out who she is and what she wants to be and have fun doing it.”
Serena Williams is not unlike her male counterpart in the GOAT contenders' list Roger Federer in this regard. Both are famous tennis parents who want their kids to play tennis, but are more than happy to let them pursue their own interests.
While Federer has mentioned that he would be happy to see some or all of his four kids playing tennis, he understands that their career choices would ultimately depend on what manages to pique their curiosity.