NEW YORK –
When Serena Williams won the US Open for her first Grand Slam title in 1999 at the age of 17, she wore white pearls in her hair. On Monday night, as Williams won her first match at the 2022 US Open at the age of 40, her daughter Olympia stood on the sidelines wearing a hairstyle that pays homage to moms of yesteryear.
“It was either her pearl necklace or me, so…” Williams said after beating Danka Kovinic 6-3, 6-3, finishing that thought with a smile. “I wanted to do it, but I just didn’t have the time.”
Williams was pregnant with the Olympics when she played for her 23rd Grand Slam title at the 2017 Australian Open and won it. Olympia was born later this year and will be 5 years old on Thursday.
“Yeah, she actually likes wearing them. She wants to wear pearls a lot,” Williams said. “It wasn’t actually my idea, but I was so happy when she wore them. It suits her perfectly.”
On Monday, Olympia sat in Williams’ players guest box at Arthur Ashe Stadium and once took pictures with a camera. She was with her father – Williams’ husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian – and her grandmother – Williams’ mother Oracene Price.
After the match, Williams’ long and influential career was celebrated during an on-court ceremony that included a video narrated by Oprah Winfrey and a speech by Billie Jean King. In the end, Ohanian carried Olympia onto the court.
“Tonight, towards the end, everything was actually a surprise. I didn’t know any of that was happening,” Williams said. “I was just about ready to do the interview in court and leave.”
She has said she is ready to leave her active days behind to focus on having another child and pursuing her business interests.