- Tennis superstar Serena Williams and tech founder/investor Alexis Ohanian have had a whirlwind few years.
- They got engaged, had a daughter together, and got married in front of a star-studded group of guests.
- Plus, they've had numerous professional accomplishments between the two of them: Williams recently won her first singles title since 2017, and Ohanian has become an advocate for paid paternity leave.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
The past few years have been life-changing for Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian.
Since December 2016, the tennis superstar and Reddit cofounder, respectively, have gotten engaged, had a daughter, and gotten married.
But things weren't always perfect. In fact, when they first met, Williams tried to get Ohanian to go away.
In the July 2017 cover story of Vanity Fair, writer Buzz Bissinger got the inside look at their love story. That, along with some Instagram sleuthing, helped us compile the story of Ohanian and Williams' whirlwind romance.
Here's how the two moguls met and fell in love.
The pair met in May 2015 at the Rome Cavalieri hotel, when Ohanian sat down at the table next to Williams' outside by the pool, according to Vanity Fair. Williams and her friends tried to get him to leave by telling him there was a rat at his table. When it didn't work, they invited him to join them.
Source: Vanity Fair
Williams had never heard of Reddit before, and Ohanian had never watched Williams play tennis, but he agreed to come to the match later that day. He knew so little about the sport that the first photo he shared publicly of Williams shows her committing a foot fault.
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Source: Instagram, Vanity Fair
When they met, Ohanian had just gotten out of a five-year relationship with his college sweetheart, microbiologist Sabriya Stukes.
Source: The New York Times, Vanity Fair
Williams dated rapper Common up until 2010. Then, in August 2015, the rumor mill began churning when Williams and rapper Drake were spotted having dinner in Cincinnati. Drake was also in the stands at the US Open in September, but Williams insisted they were just friends. Williams called Drake her "lucky charm."
Source: People, NY Daily News
Ohanian and Williams' first official date took place before the French Open in June 2015. According to Vanity Fair, Williams invited Ohanian to Paris to see her play and they ended up walking around Paris for six hours before the tournament began.
Source: Vanity Fair
The pair kept quiet on social media throughout 2015, although Ohanian did attend the US Open in September.
He shared a photo from the match captioned "Come at the queen, you best not miss. #USOpen."
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By April 2016, Ohanian knew he wanted to marry Williams. "I felt like a door had been opened to a person who made me want to be my best self," Ohanian told Vanity Fair.
Source: Vanity Fair
Ohanian soon became a fixture at Williams' matches, often showing up in the stands to watch her play.
But Williams was still keeping quiet about their relationship, at least on social media. Ohanian first appeared in one of her photos (but among a big group of friends) in August 2016. She referred to him as a "nerd" in the caption.
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She posted their first photo together in November 2016 when they wore bear-themed outfits to a costume party.
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Source: Instagram
On December 10, 2016, Ohanian proposed in the same place where they met: the Rome Cavalieri hotel. Ever the athlete, Williams wore sneakers (and she hid her ring with a tiny picture of a taco, her favorite food).
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Williams announced the engagement on Reddit. She had Ohanian draw her a customized version of Reddit's alien logo "Snoo" and called herself the "future Mrs. Kn0thing" (Kn0thing is Ohanian's Reddit username).
Williams composed a poem to go along with the announcement:
"I came home/A little late/Someone had a bag packed for me/And a carriage awaited/Destination: Rome/To escort me to my very own "charming"/Back to where our stars first collided/And now it was full circle/At the same table we first met by chance/This time he made it not by chance/But by choice/Down on one knee/He said 4 words/And/r/isaidyes."
Ohanian responded:
"And you made me the happiest man on the planet."
At the time, a source told E! News that they had "never seen Serena this happy before with a man. It sounds cheesy, but it was love at first sight. They laugh non-stop and that really fuels their relationship."
Source: E! News
Williams headed to Australia in early January 2017 to play in the Australian Open — right after finding out she was unexpectedly pregnant.
Source: Vanity Fair
Ohanian flew to Australia to cheer her on and learned the big news right before the tournament began.
Source: Vanity Fair
Williams then went on to win the Australian Open while she was eight weeks pregnant.
Source: Vanity Fair
Williams later shared a photo of her growing baby bump on Ohanian's birthday, along with a touching note to the baby.
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"My Dearest Baby," she wrote. "You gave me the strength I didn't know I had. You taught me the true meaning of serenity and peace. I can't wait to meet you. I can't wait for you to join the players box next year. But most importantly, I am so happy to share being number one in the world with you.... once again today. On @alexisohanian bday. 😉 from the world's oldest number one to the world's youngest number one. -Your Mommy"
Source: Instagram
Ohanian's Instagram is full of sweet snaps where he calls Williams his "#WCW, every day."
Source: Instagram
And they looked stunning (and happy) while attending the annual Met Gala in May 2017.
Ohanian and Williams welcomed a baby girl on September 1, 2017. Williams unveiled photos of the baby on her Instagram two weeks later, along with the baby's name: Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr.
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Source: Us Weekly
Williams suffered near-fatal complications after Olympia's birth. Already prone to blood clots, Williams was concerned she was experiencing a pulmonary embolism. She pushed for a CT scan, which revealed multiple blood blots in her lungs. She spent several days in the hospital recovering.
Source: Vogue,The New York Times
Over the last few years, Olympia has become a social media star in her own right. She has her own Instagram account — and there's even one for her doll, Qai Qai.
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Olympia frequently attends her mom's matches. Here she is watching her mom play.
In November 2017, Ohanian and Williams got married at the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans.
"The venue — the Contemporary Arts Center of New Orleans — was a decision we both made," Williams told Vogue. "Painting and art is something I'm really passionate about, so it just felt natural and different to do it at a contemporary art museum."
The wedding was inspired by Disney's "Beauty and the Beast." Williams wore a Sarah Burton by Alexander McQueen princess gown, plus $3.5 million worth of jewelry.
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Source: Vogue
The guest list included Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian, Kelly Rowland, Ciara, Eva Longoria, and of course, Venus Williams.
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In May 2018, Williams and Ohanian attended another wedding together: that of Williams' close friend, Meghan Markle, and Prince Harry.
Since the birth of their daughter, Ohanian has become an advocate for paternity leave. In a 2019 New York Times op-ed, he explained why it was so important that he took paid leave following Olympia's birth. "I took my full 16 weeks and I'm still ambitious and care about my career. Talk to your bosses and tell them I sent you," Ohanian wrote.
Source: The New York Times
Ohanian also started a new podcast called "Business Dad," where he interviews other celebrity dads, like "Patriot Act" host Hasan Minhaj and retired NBA star Chris Bosh.
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Ohanian is also the cofounder of a venture capital firm, Initialized Capital, which has $500 million in assets under management. The early stage fund has invested in more than 200 companies, and says women make up half of its investing team.
Source: Business Insider
For her part, Williams hasn't slowed down professionally. In January 2020, Williams won the ASB classic, her first singles title since the 2017 Australian Open (and her first since Olympia was born).
Source: The New York Times
Williams, Ohanian, and their daughter now live in a $6.7 million home in Beverly Hills, California.
Source: Business Insider
The couple reportedly has a combined net worth of more than $189 million.
Source: Business Insider