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Amidst the glitz and glamour of the tennis world, Olympia Ohanian, daughter of Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian, is creating her own way on the golf course. While her mother’s tennis history looms large, Olympia finds warmth and fulfillment in spending quality time with her father, boosting her golf talents and devotion.

Not only does Williams’ daughter have an interest in golf, but she is also the owner of LA Golf Club, an investment done by her 40-year-old entrepreneur father on her part. However, while navigating her young journey into any sport, golf is definitely a top priority for the six-year-old.

Just like any other Sunday, the father-daughter duo recently played golf, and a few pictures of the 6-year-old playing golf were posted on her Instagram handle. Along with that, the caption reads, “In my Golf Girl Era. ️‍♀️ @weareangelcity” 

While Olympia is definitely in her golf era, the Reddit co-founder also took to his Instagram account to share the same post and highlighted how he enjoyed a “Daddy Caddy Sunday.” Subsequently, he also tagged the golf coach, Brittany Ferrante who teaches her to play some good golf.

In addition, the coach even praised the 23-time Grand Slam Champion’s daughter for her amazing growth in golf, as she mentioned on her Instagram. She applauded her amazing footwork, and wrote, “Catch the ball in the air and a great show of the shoe!” expressing her thoughts as a proud coach. However, other than golf, she is often seen playing tennis too, but she is getting more into balls than tennis.

Moreover, last year, the former world number one admitted that her 6-year-old doesn’t actually like playing tennis, even after being good at it, just like her mother.

Williams disappointed by her daughter’s diminished interest in tennis

Last year, in an interview with CBS News, the 43-year-old American tennis legend talked about how she is disappointed that her 6-year-old is not much into tennis. She stated, “That’s a little disappointing for me, but she’s actually really good at it.”

 

The coverage and earnings in track and field have sparked discussions worldwide, with athletes like Sha’Carri Richardson, Gabby Thomas, Aaron Kingsley Brown, and others often highlighting the disparities in the sport. In February 2024, “Superman” Michael Johnson, a four-time Olympic gold medalist, expressed his concerns to Sportico, stating, “It’s been a shame for me to watch it over the last couple decades since I retired not be able to continue to provide the same amazing moments to people outside of just the Olympics.” In response to these issues, Johnson has teamed up with the Winners Alliance to launch a new league aimed at helping amplify track and field beyond the Olympics.

Additionally, Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit and husband of Serena Williams, announced an unprecedented $31 million investment in women’s track and field. Interestingly, these investments come as the 2024 Diamond League, an annual series of elite track and field competitions, begins. Let’s examine how the $31 million investment by Alexis Ohanian and Michael Johnson contrasts with the World Athletics’ 2024 Diamond League.

According to the Washington Post, Alexis Ohanian reached out to Olympic sprinter Gabby Thomas last year to discuss his sudden interest in track and field. This conversation led to an announcement at the Business of Women’s Sports Summit in New York where Ohanian revealed plans for the 776 Invitational, a women-only track event with the largest prize pool on record.

Scheduled for late September, after the Paris Olympics, the event will offer a total purse of at least $500,000, with $60,000 going to the first-place winner, $25,000 for second place, and $10,000 for third place. Ohanian’s venture capital firm, Seven Seven Six, will host the event, and the location is yet to be finalized.

Similarly, track and field veteran Michael Johnson raised over $30 million to launch a new track league aimed at revolutionizing the sport. The league, set to debut next year, will provide a TV-friendly product promoting the sport’s biggest stars and attracting new audiences through unique storytelling. The Winners Alliance, the commercial arm of the Professional Tennis Players Association, has stepped in as the lead investor and will also serve as the league’s operating partner.

Taking to X on April 23, 2024, Johnson announced, “Working to change the game for athletes and fans! League details coming this June,” with the inaugural season scheduled to start in 2025. Johnson told Sportico in Feb, “The track has been such a big part of my life, and I’m in a position to help this sport get back to where it should be.” As we reflect on these investments, let’s compare them with this year’s Diamond League prize purse for athletes.

All 32 Diamond League Champions, comprising one man and one woman in each of the 16 disciplines, are crowned over two days of athletics action at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, receiving a prestigious “Diamond Trophy,” US $30,000 in prize money, and a wild card for the World Athletics Championships. The 2024 Diamond League offers prize money as follows: At series meetings, 1st place receives $10,000, 2nd place $6,000, 3rd place $3,500, 4th place $2,000, 5th place $1,250, 6th place $1,000, 7th place $750, and 8th place $500.

The finals offer: 1st place receives $30,000, 2nd place $12,000, 3rd place $7,000, 4th place $4,000, 5th place $2,500, 6th place $2,000, 7th place $1,500, and 8th place $1,000, with additional rewards for 9th–12th place finishers in distance races and ninth-lane runners in sprints. Meanwhile, the 776 Invitational offers $60,000 for first place, $25,000 for second place, and $10,000 for third place.

The $31 million investments by Alexis Ohanian and Michael Johnson in track thus underscore a significant challenge to the traditional model of track and field competitions, particularly when compared to the prize money offered by the Diamond League.

American tennis legends, Serena and Venus Williams changed the perspective of how people looked at women’s tennis. They inspired young players, especially girls of color, to pick up the racket and smash some balls. Among them was Coco Gauff, who was massively inspired by the Williams sisters’ achievements when she was still a kid. The Williams sisters were one of the reasons that empowered Gauff to excel in the sport.

With her unique style of play and laudable achievements in the early days of her career, Gauff has often been compared to Serena and Venus Williams. While the resemblance of play is rooted in facts, it also comes from watching the sisters play on the television screen right from a young age. Recently, Gauff revealed how the duo enabled her to realize her dream.

Coming from a family of athletes where her mother was a track and field star and her father was a basketball player, Coco Gauff was exposed to the sporting world at a very young age. When she was about to turn six years old, sitting with her father Corey, Coco witnessed Serena Williams lifting the Australian Open trophy in triumph.

Little Coco was in awe and even her father, Corey felt the emotions and called the American legend ‘the GOAT.’ However, a young Gauff, who didn’t know what that term meant, asked her father to explain. “The Greatest of All Time”, it meant. And so young Coco’s mind was made. “I want to be a GOAT,” she told her father, not knowing how close she would come to that title some 16 years later.

Further, Gauff reflected on this incident and said, “As a little girl, it was very important to see representation and see myself in players, especially in the field where it is predominantly white. I don’t think I would have had the belief I could do it if it wasn’t for them.”

Interestingly, while Gauff has played against Venus Williams, she hasn’t faced Serena Williams yet. In an interview, she opened up about the prospects of facing her idol.

Gauff wasn’t ready for Serena Williams

Earlier this year, Coco Gauff reflected on her time with the Williams sisters. She has faced Venus Williams on a couple of occasions and even defeated her, causing massive upsets. But her dream of facing Serena Williams didn’t bear fruit because the WTA legend retired before the two could face each other across the net. Probably a good thing, because Gauff also expressed nervousness at the mere thought of their matchup.

She revealed, “Playing Serena at Wimbledon, I don’t know, I feel like it would have messed up my story. I wasn’t ready for Serena at that time. If I had the perfect world I would have gotten to play both. But Serena retired and I played Venus twice. In my perfect world I would have played Venus once and Serena once.”

While Serena Williams retired in 2022, Gauff has taken over the baton from her and is flying her country’s flag high. It’ll be interesting to see how many Grand Slam titles she can add to her tally this year.

 

Danielle Collins wants to mingle with one of her biggest idols, Serena Williams. The American player, in the last season of her tennis career, is aiming to fulfill one of her desires with a former compatriot. Collins wants to go out for a karaoke night with Williams, a bucket-list wish she has been open about. She recently shared her desire for it once again in a post uploaded by the former number 1.

Serena Williams is an entrepreneur and has diversified her portfolio since she hung up the racquet. She created Wyn Beauty, a makeup brand for active individuals. ‘The Queen of the Court’ recently shared a post promoting her brand, where she is seen riding a bike, which matches her outfit. Williams donned a crop top, jacket, sweatpants, and sneakers to complete an all-white outfit.

Williams uploaded four pictures, which drew a lot of attention from her fans. While most of the comments were focused on her dashing looks, Collins only had one thing to ask. “You on your way to karaoke night or what? ”. Collins reminded Williams of their mutual love for karaoke as she asked about her plans later in the day.

The Miami Open champion is also a big fan of the activity and the 23-time grand slam champion. Since she lives in the same state as Williams, she shared her desire to meet the retired tennis great. She wants to enjoy a karaoke night with her idol, singing her go-to karaoke songs: Should’ve Been a Cowboy by Toby Keith and the classic Careless Whisper by George Michael. She had earlier expressed her wish to perform karaoke after she won her fourth title this month.

Danielle Collins ‘dying for a karaoke night’ with Serena Williams

Collins won the Miami Open and the Charleston Open back-to-back, making her final year a glorious one. As she wrapped up her first WTA 500 tournament on clay, Collins talked about how she hoped she could have a karaoke night with Williams.

“I’m still really hoping because I know like I love karaoke and I know Serena really loves karaoke and I’m just dying for a karaoke night at some point with Serena. I really want to make that happen in the future. You know, we both live in Florida so I’m really hoping we’re gonna get a karaoke night one of these days.”

Collins shared her desire to sing with Williams in what would be either a hilarious or glorious moment. The former number 1 is known for loving the occasional night out.

Venus Williams and Serena Williams undoubtedly carved out remarkable legacies on the women’s tour, however, it isn’t the fruit of their labor alone. Toiling behind the American tennis icons since their childhood has been their father, Richard Williams, who went above and beyond to support them in pursuing their passion for the racquet game. As he has been away from the public lens for quite a while now, here’s what you need to know about ‘King’ Richard’s whereabouts.

Richard Williams, who became the coach for his daughters during their childhood, is still keeping tabs on the Williams sisters’ endeavors both professional and personal. Now that the 23-time singles Grand Slam champion has put down her racquet, the 82-year-old is making sure that her other daughter, Venus, is diligently keeping up with her on-court sessions. Recently, he was there to witness Venus’ practice session, in which he was sighted sitting on a bench on the court while rooting for the elder Williams sister.

In her recent social media post, the 7-time singles Grand Slam champion shared a video clip of her father “still going strong” at the age of 82, as he paid a visit to the tennis court. Venus said, “Dad is still going strong. He doesn’t always go to the practices (I can’t always get him to come) but when he does it’s epic. This was the end of a two-minute rally.” Though he was there for a practice session after a long period, Richard made sure that he noticed every little detail of her daughter’s racket game, including her rally.

Not just her daughter, but Richard is also keeping tabs on his son, Chavoita LeSane, as they enjoyed some father-son time at his place not so long ago.

Richard Williams enjoyed a ‘watermelon’ with his son Chavoita

In an Instagram post, Chavoita LeSane previously uploaded a video clip of himself and Richard, and added the caption, “Love These Days W/My Dad.” While his father was seen carrying a watermelon, Chavoita was heard saying, “He is carrying a watermelon. You got it tight boy, you got the watermelon tight boy. Don’t drop that melon boy, don’t drop my melon. If you drop that melon, you’re gonna get some lashing, you got that melon tight?”

In another previous social media post, Chavoita uploaded a picture with his father and revealed that he drove to see him. He said, “My Dad drove by to see me today. Always awesome .” 

During the 94th Academy Awards, actor Will Smith walked onstage and slapped comedian Chris Rock. The famously dubbed incident ‘The Slap Heard ‘Round the World,’ happened right before Smith was about to get his much anticipated Academy Award for his outstanding performance as “King Richard.” But, while giving his speech, he issued an apology in front of the whole crowd for the slap, apparently leaving Serena Williams embarrassed over a “crazy father” take.

Audiences were enthralled with the drama playing out on their TV screens as Smith’s apology echoed through the silent auditorium, highlighting similarities between him and King Richard. Take a look at how the 23-time Grand Slam champion reacted at that point.

In the same event, after the infamous incident, the American actor made a tearful apology to everyone present there and cracked a joke midway related to his character in King Richard. He stated, “I want to apologize to the academy; I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees.” 

Following that, there was a moment when the camera focused on Serena Williams, as she looked embarrassed when Smith talked about ‘crazy’ King Richard. While she was quite amused by the comment, she covered her face with her hands and took it as a light-hearted joke.

Smith continued, “Art imitates life; I look like the crazy father, just like they say. I look like crazy father just like they said about Richard Williams, but love will make you do crazy things.” On the other hand, Serena and Venus Williams‘ half-brother LeSane disagreed with the American actor’s perception of his father’s temperament.

He stated, “My dad is not a violent man unless, you know, someone is coming at him in an aggressive manner. I don’t know if my dad holds grudges against anyone and my dad will always take the high road. That’s something I admire about my dad.”

Nonetheless, last year, Williams opened up about how the infamous Oscar slap somehow shadowed the greatness of the film depicting her father.

When Serena addressed the Will Smith Oscar incident 

Last year, the 43-year-old American tennis legend, in a conversation with Gayle King on CBS Mornings, shared her thoughts on the Oscar slap incident. She said, “I thought it was such an incredible film, and I feel that there was an incredible film after that with Questlove that kind of was overshadowed.”

She was referring to the incident where Smith slapped Rock in the face as the latter was on stage presenting Questlove with the Best Documentary Feature award. She went on to imply indirectly that Smith should be forgiven for acting out the way he did as “we’re all human” and prone to making “mistakes”. However, she was unhappy with the way things turned out in the end.

Simone Biles, ahead of her fourth Olympic journey to Paris, has made an iconic comeback to gymnastics. Overcoming the challenges she faced at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she battled the Twisties, Biles returned in 2023 stronger than ever, clinching all the major national and international accolades in gymnastics.

Her remarkable comeback has now been honored with the ‘Oscars of the sporting world‘ at the 2024 Laureus World Sports Awards, marking her name alongside legends in sporting history such as Serena Williams and Tiger Woods.

At the 2024 Laureus World Sports Awards, Simone Biles clinched the Laureus World Comeback of the Year prize for her exceptional performance in 2023. From the 2023 Core Hydration Classic to the US National Championship and the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, Simone dominated each competition, establishing herself as an all-around champion. At the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, Biles clinched a total of four gold medals in Antwerp, Belgium, along with one silver medal in the vault.

With 37 world and Olympic medals to her name, she became the most decorated gymnast ever. Adding to her achievements, she also earned her fifth signature skill in the FIG’s Code of Points, now known as the “Biles II” for the Yurchenko Double Pike. The 27-year-old, a three-time winner of the Sportswoman of the Year award (2017, 2019, 2020), now adds another statuette to her collection with the Comeback of the Year Award. So how does she join the likes of Serena Williams and Tiger Woods?

Serena Williams, Tiger Woods, and Lance Armstrong have each won the Laureus World Sports Award for Comeback of the Year for their extraordinary returns to the top of their respective sports after facing significant challenges. Serena Williams amazed the tennis world when she upset top seed Maria Sharapova in a one-sided final to win her third Australian Open and eighth Grand Slam title in 2007.

This victory marked a remarkable comeback for Williams, who had slipped out of the top 100 in the world rankings the previous year and missed both the French Open and Wimbledon due to a serious knee injury. Tiger Woods won the Laureus World Comeback of the Year Award in 2018 after returning to winning ways on the PGA Tour. Following four operations on his back in just over three years, Woods claimed his first win in 1,876 days at the Tour Championship, re-engineering his golf swing to overcome previous injury problems.

Woods, who was nominated for the Laureus Comeback of the Year in 2009, 2014, 2019, and 2023, joined the likes of Lance Armstrong, the inaugural recipient of the award, whose incredible comeback from testicular cancer to win the Tour de France in 2000 showcased immense strength and determination.

Renowned Hollywood actress and Challengers movie protagonist Zendeya is currently busy promoting her tennis-themed movie. For that, she sought Serena Williams’s mentorship to guide her in an exclusive project. This Olympic gold medalist not only helped Zendaya but surprised the actress with her amazing knowledge of the sport.

In a recent revelation to AOLcom, Zendaya spoke about Serena Williams’s incredible tennis skills. While mentioning that she had not heard from Williams’s elder sister regarding the film, Zendaya revealed that Serena had an interesting this to say about the balls from the shoot. In Zendaya’s words– “She was like, ‘I know there definitely weren’t real [tennis] balls, She knows. She’s the best of the best.” 

However, the Hollywood actress further stated that Serena Williams complimented her. Zendaya said- “She did say that it was great considering that I had never, never touched a tennis ball before.”  She previously apologized to the famous Williams sisters for her limited on-screen tennis abilities. However, following Serena Williams’s compliment Zendaya must be on cloud nine.

Moreover, Zendeya got the opportunity to meet Serena Williams during a cover story shoot for Vogue and British Vogue. She asked Serena to mentor her. The renowned Hollywood actress said- “I’d love to pick your brain about life and business. I think I need more mentors and community and people around.” However, the American tennis legend jokingly responded- “Ask someone else.” 

Nevertheless, Zendaya’s cover story shoot was a tremendous success which bagged Serena Williams’s compliment as well. Meanwhile, Zendaya dropped a perfect tribute for the Williams sisters.

Zendaya collaborated with Luxury Law to pay tribute to the famous Williams sisters

Zendaya recently recreated Serena And Venus Williams’s iconic 1998 Vogue cover story look. She donned the same black and white striped gown highlighted with grey braids spotted on the Williams sisters on Vogue’s 1998 cover issue. This image was shared by the Luxury Law’s official page. They wrote- “An ode to the GREATS @venuswilliams @serenawilliams We thank you for all you have done! With Love, Z and Law. Thank You to @wesgordon and the @carolinaherrera team for helping us recreate this iconic look.” 

This tribute was much loved by Venus Williams who commented on the post, “Wow. No words! So much love for you.” Venus Williams also attended the Challengers movie’s LA premiere whereas Serena Williams was a no-show at the event. Nonetheless, Serena Williams supported the talented actress on her new project.

Alycia Parks’ probable outfit choice has once again sparked the Serena Williams catsuit controversy from 2018. Williams has redefined what it means to be a champion, inspiring generations of ambitious athletes worldwide. But some of her actions on the court have turned out to be a lot more controversial than expected. However, Alycia Parks, one of the rising American tennis sensations, wants to recreate Williams’ controversial moments from the French Open 2018 where she wore a custom-made black catsuit.

While there are a lot of tennis players, including Coco Gauff and Parks, who want to follow the 23-time Grand Slam Champion path, let’s take a look at what the 19-year-old has in mind regarding keeping Williams’ legacy alive.

Serena Williams’ catsuit look was something that created chaos in terms of boldness and represented her personality during the French Open. Recently, years after that act, in an Instagram ‘Ask me a question’ story series, the 19-year-old American tennis sensation was asked, “What are the chances you wear a catsuit like Serena?” Rather than skipping the controversial question, she replied, saying that in the future, there might be possibilities when she makes bold choices, just like her tennis idol. She gave a simple two-word reply and wrote, “I could.”

During the 2018 French Open, Williams made waves with her daring wardrobe choice—a sleek, long-sleeve catsuit. The eye-catching black costume, which was accentuated with a vivid red waistline, caught everyone’s attention and generated a lot of praise from both the media and fans. The 43-year-old American tennis legend was compared by many to a superhero because of her strength and confidence as a new mother.

However, the French Tennis Federation was not amused by the catsuit. French Tennis Federation president Bernard Giudicelli said in August 2018 – “The combination of Serena this year, for example, it will no longer be accepted. You have to respect the game and the place.”

Moreover, in the same year, the 23-time Grand Slam champion revealed the main reason behind that controversial suit that was not accepted by the French Open organization.

Serena Williams’ real reason behind the ‘superhero’ outfit

As someone who is a huge Marvel fan, after the catsuit outfit went viral, the former world number one herself opened up about the reason behind choosing such an outfit. She said, “I feel like a warrior in it, a warrior princess … from Wakanda, maybe. I’ve always wanted to be a superhero, and it’s kind of my way of being a superhero.”

Not long after winning the Australian Open in 2017, she made her almost two-month pregnancy public. A few months after welcoming her daughter, Serena Williams fought life-threatening blood clot issues – “I’ve had a lot of problems with my blood clots, God, I don’t know how many I’ve had in the past 12 months. I’ve been wearing pants in general a lot when I play, so I can keep the blood circulation going.”

Later she again clarified that the French Open authority initially didn’t realize her motive but later when she explained, they understood her problem. She said, “I told them ‘no, no, no, you don’t understand. This is for my health. I kind of need to wear that and they understood when I said that. They weren’t very happy about it but they understood.”

Serena Williams‘s businessman husband Alexis Ohanian once again won his fans’ hearts by putting his family before everything else. From cooking pancakes of different interesting shapes for his daughter Olympia to organizing Taco Tuesdays, Alexis Ohanian is a perfect example of a devoted father. However, Ohanian even outdid himself by choosing his family over his work this time.

Now fans know that apart from being an investor in Angel City FC, Ohanian is also the co-founder of the social media platform, Reddit. However, this talented businessman seemed more interested in keeping his family happy than attending a big Reddit event.

This Reddit co-founder recently shared an exclusive detail with fans on his official X (formerly Twitter) profile. Ohanian wrote- “Everyone asking if I’m going to NY for the @reddit IPO — it’s my daughter’s Spring Break so I’ll be taking her and the girls on holiday.” Alexis Ohanian’s dedication to his family delighted fans’ hearts.

Alexis Ohanian started Reddit with his college roommate, Steve Huffman, after working hard in the background for eight years. Following Reddit’s IPO event, this company will publicly file for using Artificial Intelligence as one of their core technology for the business. With this, Reddit will be 2024’s first major experiment in a technology-driven startup business.

In a nutshell, this is an important event for Reddit, and Ohanian’s choice to prioritize his daughters over this showcases his dedication toward fatherhood.

Ohanian previously spoke about the importance of Artificial Intelligence being a major turning point in technology. His absence from Reddit’s IPO event represented that despite embracing the idea, he won’t compromise spending time with his daughters for anything.

Alexis Ohanian previously spoke about Artificial Intelligence being a real ‘significant technological shift’

Previously in an interview with Yahoo Finance at the Milken Global Conference last year, Ohanian delved deeper into his perceptions about Artificial Intelligence. Ohanian said– “There’s a ton of hype, for sure, but there is a real significant technological shift, I have not seen anything like this before in my career — it’s that big. This is bigger than the smartphone, bigger than broadband ubiquity, and certainly bigger than social media.

Ohanian continued, “As someone who lives in technology, who tries to stay on top of things, the first concession that one has to make is that none of us can actually stay on top of this, So many parts of work, in particular knowledge work, work in front of or on a computer, is going to get so much more efficient,”

Despite his interest, Alexis Ohanian’s choice to take his daughters on Spring Break vacation presented his amazing side as a genuine family guy, who is always there for his daughters and wife, Serena Williams.