How Serena Williams met husband Alexis Ohanian in Rome
Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian met the tennis legend by chance in 2015 at breakfast in Rome, when the Reddit co-founder sat beside her table. She invited him to join her, then to watch her at the French Open. Their first date followed in Paris. Married since 2017, Ohanian now backs her Wimbledon comeback with their two daughters.
As Serena Williams, 44, returns to women's singles at Wimbledon, fans are revisiting how a random hotel breakfast turned into one of sports' most unlikely power couples. The serena williams husband story starts with coincidence, not chemistry — and it still frames how the family shows up together today.
Key Takeaways
- Williams and Ohanian were randomly seated next to each other at breakfast in Rome before she invited him to sit with her.
- Ohanian, who co-founded Reddit, had never watched tennis before meeting Williams; their first date in Paris lasted six hours.
- The couple married in November 2017 and share daughters Olympia and Adira.
- Ohanian and the girls are cheering Williams at Wimbledon as she plays her first singles match since the 2022 US Open.
How Did Serena Williams Meet Her Husband Alexis Ohanian?
According to People, Williams and Ohanian were randomly seated next to each other while having breakfast in Rome. Williams noticed the tech entrepreneur and invited him to join her table.
She later asked him to watch her compete at the French Open, and the romance took off from there. Williams later told Vanity Fair she was puzzled when "this big guy comes and he just plops down at the table next to us, and I'm like, 'Huh! All these tables and he's sitting here?'"
Before that morning, Ohanian told the magazine he had "never watched a match on television or in real life" and admitted, "I really had no respect for tennis." By September 2015, he was in the stands at the US Open cheering her on.
What Happened on Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian's First Date?
Their first official date was a "magical six hours in Paris," according to Vanity Fair. But it was hardly a typical dinner for two.
In her 2024 ESPN+ docuseries In The Arena, Ohanian recalled that Williams brought her assistant and agent along. "They just bombarded me with questions—it was like two hours of interrogation," he said. "'Do I have kids? Am I married?' Nothing was off limits."
He passed the test. The pair welcomed daughter Olympia in 2017 and married later that year; daughter Adira joined the family in 2023. Ohanian told E! News in 2023 he knew he had found someone he would "never outgrow."
Who Is Serena Williams' Husband Supporting at Wimbledon?
At Wimbledon, Alexis Ohanian and the couple's daughters are in the stands as Williams launches her singles comeback. The 23-time Grand Slam champion's last singles match before this run was at the 2022 US Open, The Independent reported.
Ohanian is an American tech entrepreneur and Reddit co-founder. He and Williams married in November 2017. Sister Venus Williams is also in the players' box as crowds roared "Serena!" when the legend took the court against Australia's Maya Joint.
Off court, Williams told Allure in 2019 that "Alexis doesn't dim my light. He puts me in the light, even if I don't want to be." As she competes four years after telling Vogue she was "evolving away" from tennis, that steady support is back on full display. For more on the story, see our Celebrity Breaking News coverage.