Serena Williams Always Tells Daughter Olympia, 6, to 'Say Something Nice' to Encourage 'Positive Words'

The tennis pro shares her daughters Olympia and Adira with husband Alexis Ohanian

Serena Williams is encouraging positive behavior in her daughter.

In an interview with CNN Sports, the tennis pro, 42, shared that she is trying to instill kindness in her daughter Olympia, 6, as she gets older to teach her that what she says to herself and others truly matters.

"I'm more kind about body image, I'm more forgiving," Williams says of herself. "And then it's not only that, it's how I also talk to my daughter. I always tell her, 'Say something nice. Is there something nice you can think of about this girl?'"

"Because I just want her to always think positive about other people as well. Because that cattiness and that mental health is really not healthy. So I think it just starts at such a young age of just encouraging positive views and positive feedback and positive words that are coming out of your mouth."

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

In addition to Olympia, Williams shares daughter Adira, who was born in August 2023, with husband Alexis Ohanian, 40.

Speaking with PEOPLE for the 50th Anniversary cover story, Williams said 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 said. “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.”

She added that Olympia has slowly started to realize that her mom is kind of a big deal.

“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 said, 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.’ ”

In an April interview with Byrdie, Williams, who recently launched a beauty brand, shared that since becoming a mom to her two daughters, her relationship with inner and outer beauty has changed.

"The way I talk to myself about beauty has certainly changed throughout my life, and it will continue to evolve," Williams began.

"Motherhood has allowed me to look at beauty through the eyes of my daughter, Olympia. We're always experimenting with makeup together, and I think about how these moments will be part of both of our beauty journeys."

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