Serena Williams is undoubtedly one of the greatest tennis players of all time, with 23 Grand Slam titles to her name. So it’s no surprise that many have wondered if her daughter, Olympia, might follow in her mother’s footsteps and become a tennis star herself. However, Williams recently admitted that Olympia doesn’t actually enjoy playing tennis, which has left her feeling a little disappointed, as per US Magazine .
Appearing on CBS News’ Person to Person W ith Norah O’Donnell , Williams revealed that while her daughter is “really good” at tennis, she doesn’t have much of an interest in playing the sport. “That’s a little disappointing for me,” Williams admitted. “But we are trying to figure out a way to get her to play a little bit. I really want her to play at least a little bit because she’s actually really good at it.”
Williams, who shares Olympia with her husband Alexis Ohanian, has been spending more time with her daughter since announcing in August that she was stepping away from the game. However, she still wants to ensure that Olympia has the opportunity to develop her skills and potentially become a tennis player if she chooses to do so. According to Today , Williams has been encouraging Olympia to play tennis since she was three years old. She signed her up for lessons in the hopes that her daughter would develop a love for the sport. Yet, it seems that Olympia still isn’t particularly interested. Despite this, Williams is determined to find a way to help her daughter enjoy tennis.
“Maybe I can push her into tennis by getting other kids to have a group lesson,” Williams suggested. “I think that’s what I’m gonna do. Olympia loves being social…She loves being around friends, she loves going to school.” as per Tennisuptodate . Williams believes that if Olympia has the opportunity to play tennis with other children her age, she might start to enjoy the sport more. “Maybe if she gets to play with other kids and it’s more of a social thing, then she’ll enjoy it more,” Williams said.
It’s not uncommon for children to resist playing sports that their parents enjoy. Some kids simply don’t have an interest in certain sports, while others may feel pressure to live up to their parents’ expectations. Williams has been vocal about not wanting to push Olympia too hard, but she also wants to make sure that her daughter has the opportunity to pursue her interests if she chooses to do so.
In an interview with People in 2021, Williams also talked about how much she enjoys playing tennis with her daughter, and how proud she is of Olympia’s skills on the court. However, she has made it clear that she doesn’t want to put too much pressure on her daughter to become a tennis player. “I’m not a pushy mom, but I know how I like techniques, I want to make sure [Olympia’s tennis instructor is] good at teaching Olympia some techniques,” Williams said in an Instagram post about Olympia’s first tennis lesson.