Serena Williams has kissed her daughter Alexis Olympia every single day since she was born on September 1, 2017.
“319 days since I gave birth to this amazing baby @OlympiaOhanian I’ve spent 319 of those days with her,” the tennis legend, 36, tweeted on Wednesday, July 18. “I’m so fortunate.”
In the accompanying photo, the 10-month-old dozes peacefully in her mother’s arms while on an airplane.
Williams’ sweet post comes just a week after Williams lost to Angelique Kerber in the Wimbledon Ladies’ Single Finals in England. “It was such an amazing tournament for me. I was really hoping to get this far,” an emotional Williams told reporters in a courtside interview following the match. “It’s obviously disappointing, but I can’t be disappointed. I have so much to look forward to. I’m literally just getting started.”
The 23-time Grand Slam champion then addressed other mothers. “I was playing for you today,” she said. “And I tried.” She echoed the sentiment in a July 16 tweet, writing: “These past 2 weeks was a sound for all moms stay home and working you can do it you really can! I’m not any better or diff than any of you all. Your support has meant so much to me. Let’s keep making noise everyday in everything we do. #roadtoUSOpen.”
Gatorade released a commercial featuring Williams on July 12. “You sacrificed, like a mother,” she begins in the spot, which shows her crushing it on the court.. “You pushed through the pain, like a mother. You got back to work, like a mother. You gave 100 percent without any sleep, like a mother. You grew stronger, like a mother. You found an extra gear, like a mother. You battled. You should them you never lost it. You created greatness. . . like a mother.”
Following the birth of Olympia, Williams underwent an emergency operation to prevent life-threatening blood clots. The star’s husband, Alexis Ohanian, paid tribute to her strength in an Instagram post published on July 14, after she lost to Kerber. “Days after our baby girl was born, I kissed my wife goodbye before surgery and neither of us knew if she would be coming back,” the Reddit cofounder, 35, wrote. “We just wanted her to survive — 10 months later, she’s in the #Wimbledon final.” He included a meme of Williams serving the ball with her quote: “Just getting started.”
