Serena Williams and her husband Alexis Ohanian got married in 2017, after a little over 11 months of dating. They welcomed their first daughter, Olympia, in 2017 as well, with Williams famously winning the Australian Open that year while being pregnant.
Ohanian, for those unaware, is a renowned entrepreneur, is most recognized for co-founding social media site Reddit. He also made significant investments in the tech space, some of which ended up helping him finance the wedding.
Speaking in a 2024 podcast interview with Harry Stebbings, a venture capitalist like Ohanian himself, Williams’ husband revealed that he sold some of his bitcoin to buy the engagement ring he gave the former World No. 1 and pay for the wedding ceremony.
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"I sold it for a wedding and engagement ring and all that stuff, so it was a good investment," he said.
In an interview with Glamour magazine in 2019, Ohanian opened up about his marriage life, shedding light on the difficulties of living with a partner when both have extensie travel schedules.
"When you’re married to the GOAT, the logistics alone can make the act of physically “showing up” a challenge. Serena’s tennis schedule takes her all over the world, and my career also requires being on the road, whether it’s traveling to meet with founders, speaking at industry events, or spending time at my venture capital firm Initialized’s home office in San Francisco," he said.
The entrepreneur revealed that he and Serena Williams managed the issue by mapping out their schedules at the start of every year and finding gaps where they could spend time together as often as possible.
"Comparing calendars isn’t romantic, but at the start of every year, Serena and I map out our schedules so that, ideally, there isn’t more than a week that we go without seeing each other," Serena Williams' husband said.
"I brought Google Calendar into her world so we could see each other’s schedules at any time, which would also make it easier to plan an impromptu call if we’re away from each other—a day without FaceTime is rough when you’ve been away from each other for two weeks," he added.
"I know I’ve been successful in my career, but I’m not the one racking up the trophies" - Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian
In the aforementioned interview with Glamour, Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian admitted that there were times in the marriage where he put his wife's career above his own at times, seeing as she was the one 'racking up trophies' at the end of the day.
"I know I’ve been successful in my career, but I’m not the one racking up the trophies. It helps that my wife and I both know what it takes to be successful and bring that mutual understanding, drive, and relentlessness to the table," Serena Williams said.
Ohanian further added about how he tried to be supportive of her, saying:
"But at the end of the day, sometimes her career really does have to come first. I try to be the most supportive partner I can be and to have conversations with her about her career goals and what she can do to reach them."
Williams retired from tennis in the year 2022, with her final professional appearance coming at the US Open.
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