Serena Williams Shares Olympia’s Reaction to Learning She Was in Her ‘Belly’ for Australian Open Win (Exclusive)

Williams tells PEOPLE that Olympia has started asking why her mom is “so famous”

The entire sports world knows the incredible story of how Serena Williams played — and won — the 2017 Australian Open while pregnant with her first daughter, Olympia. But it was a story Olympia, now 6, just recently learned herself. 

Speaking with PEOPLE for the 50th Anniversary cover story, Williams, 42, says she's started telling Olympia more about her career now that her daughter is older. 

“I told her the other day that she actually was in my belly when I won a big tournament, and she was surprised,” the 23-time Grand Slam champion says. “She's at an age now where I can kind of open up to her a little bit more and she can understand things more, whereas she didn't really understand before.”

And there’s a few things Olympia has picked up on without her mom’s help. Williams says that while they live a fairly quiet life outside of big cities like Los Angeles or New York, Olympia realized her mom is kind of a big deal. 

Related: Serena Williams on 'Persevering' Through the 'Negatives and Positives' of Her Barrier-Breaking Tennis Career

“Olympia's now at an age where she's like, ‘Listen, I am wondering why are you so famous? Mommy, how do they know your name?’ I'm like, well…,” Williams says, laughing. “I don't live in the heart of L.A. or anything, I'm in a more quiet area where I'm very low key and I try to do all the normal mom stuff and all the normal life things.”

“I said, ‘You know how mommy is a little famous?’ She's like, ‘No, no, no, you're really, really, really...’ And I'm just like, ‘Oh my god, no, no, no.’ She was like, ‘No, yes you are. You're a great tennis player.’ ”

It’ll be a while longer, though, before Williams’ other daughter, Adira, 8 months, catches on. She and her husband, Alexis Ohanian, welcomed Adira in Aug. 2023, and Williams says it has been an adjustment for the whole family. 

Related: Serena Williams' 2 Children: All About Olympia and Adira

“It's been really hectic to have two and then have all the brands,” says Williams, who runs a venture capital firm focused on female and BIPOC-led companies and just launched her latest brand, WYN Beauty. “I'm starting to sweat a little bit more, because now Adira recognizes me and she puts her arms out, she wants to come to me, and that honestly is so sweet and so cute. But then Olympia, she's 6 and she still wants a ton of attention from me.” 

“It’s definitely getting to be a little bit harder, but I love it. I've always loved a challenge, I've never steered away from hard work.”

Related: A Guide to All 23 of Serena Williams' Grand Slam Wins

And luckily for Williams, Olympia has become a mini consultant on her brands. 

“It’s fun to grow things and show your daughter as you're creating products, and say, ‘What do you think about this? Do you like this name?’ And then to literally have her say, ‘I like that name better than this,’ “ Williams says. “It’s something that's really cool, to really conceptualize together.”

Olympia has to improve her skills as a makeup artist, though. 

“Olympia plays in my makeup and you know, she puts eyeliner on me, but she doesn't really do the best job at it, to be honest,” Williams says. “We'll have to work with her on that.”

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