Serena Williams, 44, says her early-career hustle is the reason she can devote so much of her time to being a mom today.
“I feel fortunate that I’ve had a career and that I don’t have to do what most people do. I’m very lucky. I put in the hard work, like we all are doing, but I did it a little bit earlier. So, I think that’s really working in my favor. And [now I can] just put my kids first,” Williams told Net-A-Porter in an interview published on Monday.
Williams began playing tennis as a child and turned professional in 1995, at the age of 15. She went on to win 23 Grand Slam titles before retiring from the sport in 2022.
The tennis legend met her husband, Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian, in 2015. They married in 2017 and have two daughters, Olympia and Adira.
“With Olympia, I didn’t leave her until she was five! That may have been a little extreme. And it’s not recommended!” Williams said. “But I’ve just always wanted to be a mom.”
Despite a packed schedule that includes running her VC firm Serena Ventures, Williams says she always makes time for her family.
“I want to be around my family. I’m cooking every night that I’m home. I’m home 29 nights a month… Sometimes I’ll fly to New York, do what I need to do, fly back and be home in time for dinner,” she said.
In April 2022, Williams told Business Insider that she found it hard not to devote all of her free time to her kids.
“Mom guilt is real. I always feel so guilty when I’m doing something on my own,” she said. “I don’t know if I’m a good mom, and I don’t know if my method works, but I’m very hands-on with my daughter, and it was the same with our parents. So I’ve set really good boundaries, but then after work, I’m going right to my daughter. And that’s amazing and good, but now it’s like, ‘Okay, what happens to Serena?’” she said.
Speaking to Byrdie in 2024, the tennis star said that her kids bring her the most joy in life.
“I can’t say that a Wimbledon trophy holds a candle to volunteering at my kid’s school,” Williams said.