Serena Williams, widely regarded as the greatest women's tennis player in history, has opened up about her 'extreme' parenting approach with her eldest daughter, Olympia. The 44-year-old, who made a valiant but unsuccessful Wimbledon singles comeback on Tuesday, revealed on the IMO podcast with former first lady Michelle Obama that she imposes strict rules on her children.
Strict Parenting Rules Revealed
Williams admitted that she never left Olympia for more than 24 hours until she turned six. 'That may have been a little extreme, but that's who I am,' she said. 'I show up as much as I can every single day for the girls. Because I feel like they mean the most to me.'
The 23-time Grand Slam champion emphasised her commitment to being a present parent despite her demanding career. 'I really try to be a present parent. And sometimes that's hard, especially with the lives that we live. It's very hard to be present, but I try to be extremely present. I'm never gone more than 24 hours, ever.'
Discipline Incident Shared on Social Media
Earlier this year, Williams took to X to recount a discipline episode involving Olympia. She wrote: 'I told my daughter to go to bed. She did not. Therefore, she missed out on her sleepover. She cried. But what she did not know is I cried harder. I hate when she cries. Discipline sucks. But sometimes it's important.'
The post highlighted the emotional toll of parenting, as Williams admitted to crying harder than her daughter during the incident. 'I feel they need me, and I wanna raise my children. I'm a person that's raising my kids, and that's teaching them how I want them to live and how I want them to be,' she added.
Wimbledon Comeback and Family Support
Williams' Wimbledon singles comeback ended in a 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 defeat to world No. 87 Maya Joint. Her family, including husband Alexis Ohanian and daughters Olympia (eight) and Adira (two), were present on Centre Court. However, two-year-old Adira had to leave due to the All England Club's age policy, which bans children under five from spectating or sitting in player boxes. Williams will still compete in women's doubles with sister Venus.
