A mother-daughter moment! Serena Williams graced the cover of Vogue‘s September issue with her daughter, Olympia, by her side.
The star athlete, 40, looked breathtaking as she posed barefoot on a beach, wearing a sky blue Balenciaga gown and jewelry from Bulgari. Behind Williams stood Olympia, 4, who held up the train of her mother’s dress. The little girl looked dainty in a white shift dress.
Elsewhere in her shoot, the Michigan native wowed in a Ralph Lauren Collection dress and a whimsical slip frock from Sergio Hudson.
This wouldn’t be the first time Williams and her mini-me appeared on the cover of the fashion publication. For the magazine’s February 2018 issue, the Grand Slam winner looked radiant in red as she cradled Olympia, who was only a few months old at the time.
Williams shares Olympia with husband Alexis Ohanian. The couple tied the knot in 2017.
In her latest Vogue cover story, published on Tuesday, August 9, Williams dropped a major bombshell: she is stepping away from tennis.
“I have never liked the word retirement,” Williams wrote in an essay for the publication. “It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me. I’ve been thinking of this as a transition, but I want to be sensitive about how I use that word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people. Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution.”
She continued: “I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me. I’ve been reluctant to admit to myself or anyone that I have to move on from playing tennis. Alexis, my husband, and I have hardly talked about it, it’s like a taboo topic. I can’t even have this conversation with my mom and dad. It’s like it’s not real until you say it out loud.”
While Williams explained that she’s hoping to focus more time on her family, the idea of leaving tennis behind is “the hardest thing” she could “ever imagine.”
“I hate that I have to be at this crossroads. I keep saying to myself, I wish it could be easy for me, but it’s not. I’m torn: I don’t want it to be over, but at the same time I’m ready for what’s next,” she wrote.
Williams has been playing tennis since she was a child, going pro at age 14 in 1995. She has since earned 23 Grand Slam Singles titles, 14 Grand Slam Doubles and four Olympic gold medals.
