Serena Williams revealed that her 7-year-old daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., has traded traditional princesses for a new favorite—pop star Taylor Swift! On an episode of the INBOUND podcast, Serena let this adorable tidbit slip while chatting with host Kara Swisher.
“My daughter just turned 7. She’s into Taylor Swift. She’s not into princesses; she is into Taylor Swift. I am, too,” Williams added, highlighting how Swift’s music has become one of the most significant entertaining activities that bring her and her daughter together. Serena, a Swift fan, smiled as she talked about how the singer’s influence has stretched beyond music. Olympia’s new love for the Kansas City Chiefs, a football team that Swift has been supporting, is just proof of how much impact the superstar is having on her.
The interview also concerned Serena’s parenting choices, especially when protecting Olympia’s online presence. A dedicated mom of two, Alexis and her younger sister, 1-year-old Adira, Serena, also spoke about the challenges of raising kids in today’s digital world. “It’s a scary world. It’s a digital world for kids right now,” she said. Serena is ready to keep her daughters safe while giving them a childhood feel.
“We don’t allow her on some of the platforms,” she says, and with good reason: It’s in monitoring their online interactions. Therefore, since there is so much content at the children’s fingertips, the former world champion well knows parenting today comes with careful consideration.
Serena’s philosophy is about creating positivity amid chaos. “I’m trying to think positively. We might try to take it slow with her and just let her be a kid for as long as you can,” she counseled. Working her way through parenthood is mostly all challenges, but Serena is all about being present for her girls.
During the conversation, she said in jest, “I don’t have any. Just wake up, that’s all I do!” She does realize, however, that being a champion doesn’t necessarily equate to taking home big titles. “You don’t have to be winning Wimbledon or a gold medal to be a champion. Being a champion is just being there for your kids.”
While Olympia might be the star Swiftie in the family for now, Serena hinted that the youngest of her daughters, Adira River Ohanian, born in 2023, may soon join the Swift fandom. She is still too young to show her preferences yet.
Besides being a professional athlete, Williams draws energy from music. Precisely, she uses it in preparation for matches. Her playlists, one of which is appropriately entitled “Get-Pumped,” are full of rhythmic and dynamic songs to get her pumped up. As it were, one could say that, in her case, music is essential on and off the court.
News of Olympia’s love for Taylor Swift has thus rung a bell in the minds of many, as was seen from this wave of positive reactions that swept social media. In analysis, fans are very much inspired to see young girls being influenced by pop icons of the present rather than fairy tale characters from decades back. It reflects a bigger cultural shift: strong, talented women in today’s entertainment are the role models to young girls.
Since retiring from active tennis in 2022, the flair of the game continues to feature in Serena’s life. “Being a champion is understanding that you’re not going to be a champion every day,” she reflected. “Some days, just waking up is a big effort. Just give what you can on that day.”
