Like mother, like daughter! Serena Williams taught her newborn daughter the importance of teamwork, perseverance and sportsmanship in a heartfelt commercial for Gatorade shared by the company on Monday, November 20.
“Baby girl, I won’t mind if you play tennis badly. I won’t mind if you choose to never pick up a racket,” the tennis superstar, 36, said as she cradled a stand-in for her 3-month-old daughter, Alexis, who according to AdAge was sick on the day of filming. “But I beg you, in this game of life, please keep playing no matter what.”
The clip then flashes forward into the future as a teenaged Alexis dabbles in basketball, track, lacrosse and soccer. “Just like it taught me, sports will teach you to be strong,” the Grand Slam champ said in a voiceover. “You’ll discover the power and grace of your body. You’ll learn to move and you’ll learn the way to move others. Sports will teach you the strength of your allies, whether your bond is by blood or by ball, whether she shares the color of your skin or the color of your jersey. You’ll find your sisters in sweat.”
Williams then explained to the infant the value of endurance and persistence. “Sometimes you’ll score goals, sometimes you won’t. But the goals you set, you’ll reach together,” she continued. “You’ll find the courage to stand tall, work harder and speak louder on whatever playing field you choose in life. So keep playing, my girl. Keep playing.”
A spokeswoman for Gatorade told Adage in a statement via email, “While Serena intended to have Olympia make her screen debut as part of this film, her daughter was under the weather and unable to be on set, but the sentiment remains the same.”
The award-winning athlete and the Reddit cofounder, 34, welcomed their daughter back in September. The couple tied the knot on Thursday, November 16, in a star-studded ceremony at the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans.
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