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Serena Williams welcomes her second child with husband Alexis Ohanian: ‘Beautiful angel’

Williams first revealed she was pregnant again at Met Gala in May

Amber Raiken
New York
Wednesday 23 August 2023 06:53 BST
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Related: Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian announce sex of second child

Serena Williams and husband Alexis Ohanian are officially the parents of two.

Williams, 41, shared a video to TikTok on 22 August to announce the arrival of her second child. The one-minute video started off with Ohanian looking at a computer and sitting at a table, before his wife sat down next to him. The pair were then joined by their five-year-old daughter Olympia.

The video went on to show Williams leaving the room, before she returned with her newborn baby in her arms. After the tennis star exchanged a kiss with her husband, Olympia leaned toward them to give her little sister a kiss on the forehead. The clip ended with a few sweet snaps of the now family of four.

In the caption of the video, which was set to Bazzi and Camila Cabello’s hit song, “Beautiful”, Williams wrote: “Welcome my beautiful angel.”

Ohanian also shared a photo of himself and his family on Instagram to announce the baby news, revealing his child’s name: Adira River Ohanian. He continued the caption of his post by expressing his gratitude for his second daughter and wife, along with the doctors who cared for them.

“I’m grateful to report our house is teaming with love: a happy & healthy newborn girl and happy & healthy mama,” he wrote. “Feeling grateful. @serenawilliams you’ve now given me another incomparable gift - you’re the GMOAT. Thanks to all the amazing medical staff who took care of my wife & our daughter,” he wrote. “I’ll never forget the moment I introduced @olympiaohanian to her baby sister.”

In the comments, many fans and famous faces went on to celebrate the newest addition to Ohanian family.

“Congratulations!!!! Such a beautiful family. I’m so happy for you guys!!!!!!,” LaLa Anthony wrote, while another fan added: “Congratulations on your beautiful baby girl! Such a beautiful family! I love her name.”

A third commented: “Such a blessing! So happy for you both.”

During the Met Gala earlier this year, the Grand Slam winner first revealed that she was expecting her second child. As she walked the red carpet alongside her husband in May, Williams showcased her baby bump in a black long-sleeves dress with a deep neckline and a white tulle skirt.

She also celebrated the news on Instagram at the time, writing: “Was so excited when Anna Wintour invited the three of us to the Met Gala.”

Earlier this month, Williams and Ohanian also shared that they had an adventure-themed gender reveal party to unveil the sex of their baby. In a video shared to the tennis star’s YouTube account, which documented the “baby shower slash gender reveal” event, Ohanian had arranged for a drone display in the sky to reveal to his wife that they were having a girl.

Prio to sharing the display, the Reddit founder pulled a gender reveal prank on his partner by giving her a decoy cake that was yellow inside, instead of the usual blue or pink to indicate what the baby’s gender is.

The arrival of Williams’ second child came one year after she revealed that she was retiring from tennis. In an essay for Vogue in August 2022, she wrote that she was leaving the sport to focus on her family, as she expressed how Olympia had often told her that she wanted to be a big sister.

“Believe me, I never wanted to have to choose between tennis and a family,” she wrote. “I don’t think it’s fair. If I were a guy, I wouldn’t be writing this because I’d be out there playing and winning while my wife was doing the physical labour of expanding our family.

Williams continued: “Don’t get me wrong: I love being a woman and I loved every second of being pregnant with Olympia… But I’m turning 41 this month and something’s got to give.”

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