Serena Williams Cuddles With Olympia During Massage
Serena Williams Is Teaching Daughter Olympia Self-Care by Example
Serena Williams has kept incredibly busy since leaving competitive tennis, but that doesn't mean she's not taking time for self-care. In a recent Instagram post, that meant getting some muscle treatment — with her daughter, Olympia Ohanian, tucked under her arm, of course. "Whenever I get treatment @olympiaohanian wants to be there too. So cute," Williams captioned the photo, in which both mom and daughter look about ready to doze off. (Nothing like a nice nap on the massage table, tbh.)
The tennis star recently opened up about how difficult it's been to relax since leaving tennis. "I'm currently allowing myself to be tired. Allowing myself To relax. Allowing myself to just be," Williams wrote in a recent tweet. "It's harder than I ever imagined. I've never allowed myself to do any of that before..."
Williams, who played her final pro tennis tournament last September, cited her desire to focus on her venture capital firm, Serena Ventures, and focus on growing her family with husband Alexis Ohanian as her reasons for leaving the sport. But she's been open up about the challenges of "evolving" away from tennis, as Williams describes it, rather than retirement.
"There is no happiness in this topic for me," Williams wrote in an emotional Vogue essay last year announcing her decision. "I know it's not the usual thing to say, but I feel a great deal of pain. It's 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's not. I'm torn: I don't want it to be over, but at the same time I'm ready for what's next."
Along with her work with Serena Ventures, Williams has published a book, launched her Will Perform lifestyle brand, and thrown Olympia a surprise "Moana"-themed party since retiring, so she's clearly not slowing down too much. The 23-time Grand Slam winner has even teased a return to tennis, reminding fans, "I'm not retired," at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference in San Francisco in Oct. 2021. Williams adding that "the chances are very high" that we could see her play again.
Whatever Williams chooses to do in this next chapter of her life, she's bound to succeed. But still, life transitions can be challenging for anyone — even an undisputed GOAT. So it's nice to watch Williams find moments of joy and self-care through it all (especially when it involves cuddle time with Olympia). She's earned all of the relaxation and then some.
@serena I am Offically OUT OF OFFICE. Time to relax #relax
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