Serena Williams Wants More Kids & Is Prepared To Retire To Do It: I Have ‘A Plan’
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When it comes to choosing her career or her family, the decision is easy for Serena Williams. The tennis GOAT says she’s ‘prepared’ to walk away from the sport if that’s what it takes to have more kids.
Serena Williams has her eyes on her future, and that doesn’t necessarily involve tennis. While Serena, 40, is one if not the most extraordinary talent ever to step foot on the court, her focus might shift from being a Grand Slam champion and being a mom to her husband Alexis Ohanian’s daughter, Olympia, 4. Serena also revealed to Entertainment Tonight, as part of her Super Bowl ad for Michelob Ultra, that she wants to give Olympia, 4, a sibling. “I definitely want to have more kids, it’s just like, balance is key, you know, and just trying to find that balance,” she said. “I don’t know. It’s always like, ‘OK, are we ready?’ And I know the clock is ticking so I’m just like ‘OK, I need to figure out when that’s going to be,’ but hopefully soon when I will feel no pressure.”
To get this “balance,” will Serena have to give up the sport that she loves? If so, she’s ready. She told ET that she’s been considering retirement, speaking earlier in the interview that she’s “prepared for that day” when she hangs up her racket, takes a bow, and leaves the game for good. “I’ve been prepared for that day for over a decade,” she said. “So, I’ve always — if you’ve seen King Richard you know that my dad always said you got to prepare, so I’ve been prepared for that. You know, at the end of the day, I think it’s really important to always have a plan, and that’s kind of what I did. I always had a plan.”
Serena said that her life – being a mom to Olympia, being a tennis icon, and working with her nearly 20 corporate partners and investments in 66 startups – is a lot to handle. “It is a balancing act, and some days it’s harder than the others,” she told ET. “It was definitely more tough because I’m still a mom and I’m still a wife, and I’m still, you know, I want to be able to spend time, and I like to be good at things. I want to be the best mom, you know, and I just have a wonderful team around me. … There are days that are overwhelming … but I’m just like, OK, I just got to like, figure it out and just make it work.”
Despite the hectic schedule, Serena has made motherhood work. She often shares photos of her and Olympia – usually when they wear matching outfits – on her social media and has made sure that her daughter has grown up full of love and life.
Sometimes, Serena’s busy schedule affords her to have some fun. Take, for example, Michelob Ultra’s commercial for Super Bowl LVI. Serena makes an appearance with other sports stars and Hollywood legend Steve Buscemi. “Honestly, I was so excited because I’ve actually been a fan of his for a long time, and there was a movie he was in ages ago called Twenty Bucks,” she said.
Serena told him that’s when she became a fan. It’s a somewhat obscure film – featuring a cast that includes Brendan Fraser, Elisabeth Shue, Gladys Knight, Linda Hunt, and Buscemi – so he was shocked to hear that’s how Serena first saw him. “[He] couldn’t believe that I knew that movie because it’s so old and it wasn’t like the most famous movie. But I love actors and acting, and I like good quality, and I could tell from them that he was really good at his job, and we just vibe.”