*When Serena Williams announced she was engaged to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, many questioned and criticized her decision to settle down with a white man.
In a new feature for the New York Times, Williams, who is preparing to share her life in a new HBO documentary called “Being Serena,” talked about what remained important to her: that her spouse was kind, humorous and loving.
Williams, who shares daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. with Alexis Sr., told the publication that she is still surprised to this day that Ohanian, whom she married in November, two months after giving birth to their daughter, ended up being a fit for her.
“I’m an athlete,” she said. “He’s a business guy. I’m black. He’s white. We are totally opposite. I think we just complement each other. I think we understand hard work in different ways.”
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Williams has written about his experiences with racism, and she has spoken openly about the disrespect she’s dealt with in tennis because she’s a Black woman. So the Times asked her what type of message their relationship sent.
“Oh my God,” she said. “Literally all I tell Alexis is, ‘well, you know, there’s such a difference between white people and black people.’ He always gets to hear about the injustices that happen; that wouldn’t happen if I were white. It’s interesting. I never thought I would have married a white guy, either, so it just goes to show you that love truly has no color, and it just really goes to show me the importance of what love is. And my dad absolutely loves Alexis.”
But the deciding factor was the fact that Ohanian was good to her.
“Ultimately I wanted to be with someone who treated me nice, someone who was able to laugh with me and someone who understood my life and someone that loved me,” she said.
“And you know, I’m sure there’s other people out there,” she added. “But you know, Alexis is the one I connected with, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
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