Serena Williams‘ chemistry with Alexis Ohanian is one that can’t be made in labs! While the sports world doesn’t often see success stories like theirs, it took Williams precious time and people with whom she had a disconnect to get here. However, before Ohanian even entered Serena’s life, there was another face that the American begrudgingly thanked, even after years of breaking up with him.

Serena Williams’ docuseries has taken over social media, with the premier of ‘In the Arena: Serena Williams’ already having taken place at Tribeca. When promoting the series, Access Hollywood asked Williams whether it was true that she thanked her first-ever boyfriend in the docuseries. The retired pro, who seems reluctant to answer at first, admits, “I mean yeah I did thank him but it was a joke,” mentioning that it wasn’t actually a generous thank you.

This incident likely points back to the year 2002 when Serena Williams was beginning to prove that she was not an ordinary player. While the former pro was rumored to be dating Washington Redskins’ then-linebacker LaVar Arrington back then, the separation from him made her gain a motivation that helped her secure massive feats.

Continuing to explain what made her give out this regard to her first boyfriend, Williams added, “I’m one of those athletes that really just need an excuse to win so I talked about this in the docuseries and then I talk about how I used that break up as like a reason to just be great. I pushed me forward and then I was like Thank You.”

Starting from the French Open title in the same year, Serena secured a thrilling win at Roland Garros where she took down her sister Venus for the second major title. Continuing her lead, the former pro stunned the sporting world by becoming the champion at Wimbledon, US Open, and then again at the Australian Open 2003.

While it was a push that helped her secure massive feats, the former pro decided not to see it as a harsh memory but as something that happened for good. For the fans intrigued enough to find out more about Serena’s breakup, she took a moment in the past to give out the details of it.

Serena Williams explains her productive heartbreak

“I cry a lot but I am so productive, it’s an art” might be a 2024 lyric from the queen of heartbreak anthems but Serena Williams has been exploring it since the beginning. Her unparalleled lead was an engaging movie-like story, with fans curious to hear about what exactly the legend felt when she parted ways with her first boyfriend.

“This guy tore my heart in half. Then he ripped those pieces and stepped on them and backed his car up over them. And the worst part was he left me thinking it was me,” she reportedly revealed in an interview back in 2009. Mentioning how she decided to turn the terrible incident into her armor to show her dominance to the world, the former pro added, “I decided tennis would be my salvation. I wanted So-and-So to regret how he treated me. I wanted him to see me everywhere.”

Serena Williams’ story of attaining glory came out to be a hit. While this shows the absolute control the former pro had on her emotions, it is surely one of the lessons that the world should learn from her journey.

Carlos Alcaraz’s French Open victory has earned him a special compliment from Andy Roddick! In the ever-evolving landscape of tennis, domination of the Big 3 (Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic) and the Williams sisters (Serena and Venus), has captivated fans for decades. As these tennis stars have approached their retirements, the question of who is going to take the spotlight next looms large. But according to the former U.S. Open champion, Roddick, fans don’t need to worry about that anymore!

Andy Roddick, known for his candid remarks, discussed the French Open final in the latest episode (June 11) of his podcast, Served. After discussing the match between Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek, Roddick, along with Kim Clijsters and Jon Wertheim, moved to the topic of Carlos Alcaraz’s first French Open victory. Sharing his opinion, the American former tennis pro, Roddick, said, “Carlos winning a slam, third year in a row. Third, different slam and being a good citizen. Along the way, I admitted basically, I was pessimistic about where tennis was going to lay post big three Serena, Venus at the top of her game, and I couldn’t be happier to be wrong about it. I think this game is in great hands.”

As Roddick pointed out, the Big Three’s two-decade dominance on-court is massive. Collectively bagging a total of 66 major singles tournaments, they have held their top spot for a total of 947 weeks in total. However, the Williams sisters are also not far behind in this respect. Both of them have together bagged 30 Grand Slams and have broken barriers in tennis while being at the top of the sport. Along with that, both have earned four gold medals together, 3 together in doubles, and 1 each in singles at the Olympics for America. But now all of them have retired with Djokovic continuing his prowess on-court and Nadal soon approaching his retirement.

However, Roddick’s skepticism at tennis getting lulled after their retirements has been replaced by awe. While talking about Carlos Alcaraz’s on-court skills during his French Open final match, Roddick further explained, “Post Roger post Rafa so on and so forth, post Venus that can fill this stadium with the brand of tennis, and with the star power, and I honestly feared and would have bet significant money, that there was going to be a little bit of a lull in the interest of tennis in the product that was being put out there.”

Further adding, he said, “I thought it was gonna take more years to kind of have to build and market superstars. And was I ever completely wrong. I mean, this kid steps in, he’s my favorite player to watch, he can hit every shot, and it’s like, he’s this mix of kind of perfect because he can hit every shot and play a certain way and move a certain way.”

The World No. 2, who has won three major titles (U.S. Open, Wimbledon, and the French Open), is making waves in the tennis world. At just 21 years old, he has 14 ATP titles to his name. After battling with his arm injury for months, the youngest teenager to win the U.S. Open has once again shown his dominance on-court. Naturally, it has erased Roddick’s skepticism about the former World No. 1’s potential to rule the tennis world. Not only him, for Alcaraz too, his French Open win is a “special” one!

Carlos Alcaraz reflects on his “incredible” achievement at Roland Garros

By defeating Alexander Zverev in almost 4 and a half hour battle, Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz has earned his first Grand Slam on clay court. Adding more to this achievement, he has also made history by becoming the youngest ATP player to achieve a Grand Slam on three surfaces. Therefore, the Wimbledon Champion was over the moon after his victory. “This tournament, I’ve watched it since I was five, six years old. Being in this position right now is so, so special.”

He also said, “It has been incredible work. I am really grateful to have the team that I have and the people I have around. I know that everyone in my team is giving their heart just to make me improve as a player and a person.” With Alcaraz and his contemporaries stepping into the spotlight, one thing is clear. As Roddick pointed out, the future of tennis is indeed secure!

It has been over 2 years since Serena Williams evolved away from tennis. The mother of two has transitioned into a successful entrepreneur and businesswoman. However, despite stepping away from the demanding tennis circuit, Williams has been consistent when it comes to her health and fitness. As she is busy with the launch of her new brand Wyn, the American tennis legend is making the most of the little time she gets for herself. And recently the 42-year-old shared a glimpse of her workout with her followers. With her good friend supporting her!

The 23-time Grand Slam winner has entered the cosmetic domain with her brand Wyn Beauty. And while sharing her bike workout, the tennis legend also tried to promote her beauty brand. Dressed in a black tank top, neon tights, and all glammed up, Serena captioned her post, “Don’t come in-between me and my gym time. @wyn available at wynbeauty.com and @ultabeauty stores and ulta.com ✨“

Williams certainly won’t like any interruptions in her workout or her beauty! Her post found support from her good friend and American actress La La Anthony. The latter agreed with Williams’s motivation and she commented a big yes on her post- “Yesssss Rena“.

Nothing could be better than your family and friends supporting your personality and venture together. And Williams has been blessed with lots of support in this domain!

However, despite evolving away from the tennis court. Williams’ has left a powerful and deep legacy that is respected even after she departed from the circuit. And the newly crowned French Open champion did the same!

Iga Swiatek refuses to take the crown of the queen of the Court

Recently, Iga created history with her 4th win at the French Open, as she claimed her 3rd consecutive title. A similar feat was achieved by the queen of the court, Serena Williams, at Flushing Meadows. Moreover, the Polish player is the only woman after the 23-time Grand Slam champion to win 3 Grand Slams in a row!

And the US Open official X handle drew comparisons between the two tennis stars to commemorate the remarkable feat of the 24-year-old. Swiatek had a humbling response as she refused to touch Serena’s crown! And she commented “Mighty @serenawilliams,” along with a crown emoji on the side.

With over 2-decades and 23 Grand Slam titles, Williams has a special place in the hearts of tennis fans. And as she establishes her reign of the court it’s heartening to see the same support extended to the champion.

Roger Federer introduces a new definition of retirement. It has been nearly 21 months since the Swiss tennis maestro marked an end to his legendary career in the world of tennis. Fans started to see things in a different way when Serena Williams used the word ‘evolve’ instead of ‘retire’. As Roger Federer recently took center stage to address fresh graduates, he elaborated on his vision to see the retirement of athletes with a different vision.

Roger Federer’s agent Tony Godsick has always been more than just a professional associate. While his daughter Bella graduated from Dartmouth’s 2024 batch, the former pro did the honor of addressing the future generation with an enlightening speech at Dartmouth’s commencement. Dressed in black as a graduate himself, the Swiss tennis maestro started to see a similarity between the students and the players who dropped their studies to dedicate their lives to the sport.

Explaining how he sees graduation as a procedure in the world of tennis, Roger Federer said, “I’m even more impressed because I left school at the age of 16 to play tennis full time. So I never went to college but I did graduate recently. I graduated tennis.” While the statement lacked clarity, the former pro took a moment to explain the meaning behind the words.

“I know the word is ‘retire’ “Roger Federer retired from tennis” ‘Retired’, the word is awful! You wouldn’t say you retired from college, right? It sounds terrible! Like you, I’ve finished one big thing and I’m moving on to the next,” he explained.

Although the statement might seem to be unique in its own way, it came up with a close resemblance to the thoughts of Serena Williams. The former pro was the first one to oppose the word retirement openly.

Roger Federer’s words ring true with Serena Williams’

Serena Williams hung up her racket for good close to the time when Federer did. Even she didn’t find the word ‘retirement’ suitable and therefore coined a new term for it. In an interview with Vogue back in September 2022, the WTA legend mentioned the fact that she’s not retiring from tennis but actually evolving from it.

“I have never liked the word retirement. It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me….Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution. I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me,” Serena said, enlightening the co-players and the whole tennis world with a thought that struck her mind while she planned to mark an end to her professional career.

The way Roger Federer explained the true meaning of retirement, not only enlightened the students but also gave players a new vision to look at their careers. As it found a close connectivity to that of Serena Williams, it also dropped a reminder to the good old days when they took the courts together.

Do you remember the 2014 US Open? It took Serena Williams just 75 minutes to win (6-3, 6-3) against Caroline Wozniacki at Flushing Meadows. The tennis star dropped to her back behind the baseline and wept. It was an emotional moment for her. But with the win, the American earned three consecutive singles titles at a single Grand Slam. Fast forward to 2024, and Iga Swiatek has achieved the same feat as Williams did in 2014.

Yesterday, Swiatek continued her dominating run to defeat Jasmine Paolini of Italy in the summit clash (6-2 6-1) and win her fifth Grand Slam title. In the process, she also won a hat-trick of French Open titles, winning here in 2022, 2023, and 2024, just like Williams’s hat-trick. Swiatek also won four of the past five French Open titles and is the youngest woman to do so.

Following Swiatek’s brilliant victory, the US Open Tennis’ official Twitter handle shared a reminder of her achievement. But what did the Polish star have to say about this comparison with Williams? She refused to give in to the comparisons. Iga Swiatek took to X and commented, “Mighty @serenawilliams,” along with a crown emoji. What a humble reaction from the 23-year-old!

But apart from Williams and Swiatek, there are two players with this achievement: Monica Seles and Justine Henin. The former won the Roland Garros in 1990, 1991, and 1992, whereas Henin won seven grand slams in her career. Four of them were at Roland Garros (2005, 2006 and 2007).

Well, Serena Williams’ ex-coach Rennae Stubbs had already predicted Iga Swiatek’s victory after her match against Naomi Osaka. On May 29, Stubbs posted on Twitter, saying, “That was an amazing match!!!!!!!! The forehand that Naomi missed serving for the match up 30-15 to go up two match points is one she is going to see in her sleep (nightmares) tonight! After this win, i think IGA now just plows thru everyone else after that match.”

Swiatek happened to glance at her prediction. The top-ranked player in the world responded with a Kermit the Frog GIF on Saturday, following her sixth Grand Slam victory. “Had ya back!” Stubbs responded.

However, this is not the only feat that Swiatek has matched with that of Williams. Earlier this year, she achieved the most WTA ranking points since Serena Williams in 2015 after winning the Italian Open title. She rose to 11,695 points, which was the first time in her career that she crossed the 11,000 mark. However, the Polish tennis star has had to overcome the pressure and emotions of the huge expectations placed on her.

Going into the finals of the French Open, Swiatek was the favorite to win the title. As a result, there was massive pressure and expectations on her. Following her victory, the Pole revealed how she managed to overcome this burden.

She said, “When I talk about pressure, I usually put pressure on myself because of pressure of the outside. Obviously, I’m a perfectionist, so there is always pressure behind me. But I think I’m fine with handling my own pressure. It’s when the pressure from the outside hits me, then it’s a little bit worse. But I managed it really well at this tournament.”

Further, she went on to add, “It was an emotional win because I felt, you know, a lot of stress yesterday and today in the morning. And I knew if I’m going to just focus on tennis, I can kind of fight through it, and at the end it all went how I wanted. So I just felt really proud of myself.”

With Iga Swiatek coming out on top of the expectations set for her, she can soak in the sweet success of her victory. With age by her side, she has a long way to go in her career, and the signs look positive for her to overcome more records that Serena Williams set in her illustrious career.

The French Open is in its final lap! While the tournament ended without any controversy, Serena Williams‘ former coach has something that can create chaos and leave tennis fans and speculators questioning the move. Apparently, now that there’s only the final championship round remaining, the idea of collecting money from the crowd shocked Rennae Stubbs.

The Australian tennis coach recently took to her Twitter handle and dropped a bomb, talking about how the French Tennis Federation has created more money than usual. She wrote, “FFT are ticketing the semis separately?!! So if u want both matches that are back 2 back, u gotta pay!? WHAT?! On the same day session!? they really are trying to reap as much $ as possible out of this tourney. Now i would be ok with that if they split it 50/50 with the players.”

Not only that, but she also significantly highlighted that if a person wanted to watch any semi-finals, they would have to pay a separate amount for each game. Tickets for the women’s semifinals presently run from $1,144 to $2,214, according to Championship Tennis Tours. Depending on the players involved, these prices may change closer to the event.

The same pricing range applies to tickets for the men’s semifinals. Fans can, however, purchase a package that includes unlimited food and drink as well as entrance to both men’s semifinal matches for $6,415. When the competition moves into the second week and the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals, tickets to the French Open may get rather expensive.

On the other hand, the location of the court affects prices. According to Championship Tennis Tours’ ticket cost, grounds passes, which grant access to smaller courts, are typically more reasonable. They range from $200 to $400, depending on whether it’s a day or night session.

The tickets for the two main courts, Suzanne Lenglen Court and Court Philippe-Chatrier (Center Court), are more costly. For example, during the first round, tickets for Court Philippe-Chatrier might cost anything from $470 to $2,294. However, the French Open also spread its wings with an amazing deal they signed with Lacoste.

French Open’s deal continues to partner with Lacoste

The French Open extended its partnership with Lacoste until 2030. Subsequently, till 2030, Lacoste will continue to be an official partner of the French Tennis Federation (FFT) and a premium partner of Roland-Garros.

It seems logical to extend the collaboration from 2026 to 2030, considering the intricately entwined histories of Roland-Garros and Lacoste. Constructed in 1928 to host the Davis Cup, the Roland-Garros stadium was named after René Lacoste and the other Musketeers’ triumph over the United States in the previous year.

Former world’s number one Serena Williams‘s “god ferie” took an adventurous turn. Currently holidaying in Europe, Williams delighted her fans by sharing snippets of her family time on social media. From visiting candy stores to managing romantic date nights with her hubby, Serena has been dropping vacation goals for the past few days. Amid everything, Williams didn’t forget to continue her tradition with Olympia as they test their fears in a new way!

A reliable fan page of Serena Williams recently took their Instagram profile to share an adorable video of the former Olympic gold-medalist WTA star with her daughter in Denmark. The adorable mommy-daughter duo took a fun roller-coaster ride in Denmark’s Legoland and delighted their fans’ hearts with their cute expressions, “Yohoo” and “Oh my god.” The video was captured by Williams and shared on her official TikTok platform. “Check out my unedited day at Legoland in Denmark….”- wrote the former world’s number one tennis player.

After that, this WTA legend also mentioned how “hummmm nice and almost private” environment they got since the place wasn’t very crowded with visitors. “Serena and Olympia rides roller coaster at Lego Land in Denmark ❤️ This is the cutest video ever. Just had to share this! via Serena’s Tiktok”- wrote the Instagram fan page.

Serena Williams’s TikTok profile further revealed how the mommy-daughter duo enjoyed Lego Ninjas, Lego creations that are huge and almost life-size, and many other amusing features of the place. While fans were happy seeing Serena having a gala time with her family on her latest European vacation, they also noticed how grown up Serena’s six-year-old looked with her long braided hair and that adorable smile.

Not only that Serena’s video showed how their seats rolled up at one point giving Olympia a great surprise to the extent that she rolled her eyes at Mommy’s camera and exclaimed- “OHHH NOO!”. However, before she could realize it, the ride took off again and Olympia said- “I did not expect that,” On the other hand, Williams cooperated with her daughter so much that she laughed at the moment showing that she was having equal fun with Olympia, visiting the Lego Land.

The mommy-daughter duo has been a fan of adventure. During Serena’s tropical vacation earlier this January, fans spotted her capturing her fun water ride wearing a black swimsuit. Preparing for the water slide while filing, Williams said- “Give ya girl a waterslide and a camera- and this is what you will get! So Olympia talked me into doing this water slide, which I’ve already done twice,” This legendary WTA star was spotted screaming and laughing as her ride got faster than her expectations and dropped her into the pool.

Serena Williams is not just a legendary tennis player with 23 Grand Slams but a devoted mother to Olympia and Adira. Not only did she accompany Olympia in Lego Land but she also visited Paris’s candy store for her baby girl and was amazed by the stock.

Serena Williams’s Paris trip was filled with excitement as she visited a candy store for Olympia

Before Denmark, the Williams-Ohanian family delighted their fans with their amazing vacation pictures in Paris. Serena took her fans to an American candy shop in Paris and showed their incredible variety, which brought even Serena’s childhood back.

“We are at a store that sells American stuff. Okay, look at all these candy. I am not sure but these Twinkies flavored popcorns, we don’t, I have never seen that in the stores in the US, but ohkay! I haven’t seen that, Yum! Yum ! Yum! What about this? Cold? I never saw that! Hey, who else sell these stuff? Yum! Yum! Yum!”- she said while filming the store. Not sure what mommy picked for her baby girl but the video was enough for fans to understand the joy and happiness they encountered in their latest family vacation.

Therefore, Serena Williams’s Lego Land visit with her daughter Olympia was a treat for the fans. Despite being busy with other work commitments, fans find it commendable that Serena and her husband never fail to prioritize their family and spend time with each other.