Serena Williams is giving fans another glimpse into her close bond with her oldest daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr.
Alexis is the oldest of Serena and her husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian’s two kids.
The couple also share a 3-year-old daughter, Adira, while balancing parenthood with demanding careers.
Williams recently shared a tender family photo that quickly had social media talking about how much the 8-year-old has grown.
She posted an Instagram image Thursday, Aug. 20, showing herself and Olympia in complementary purple and pink outfits.
The 23-grand slam winner kept the caption simple, writing, “Sometimes all I need is her hug.”
The photo prompted an outpouring of affection from Williams’ followers, many of whom marveled at Olympia’s height and how quickly she is growing.
“She’s about to be as tall as you,” one person commented.
Another wrote, “Getting taller fast Cutie. God Bless.”
Others described the comfort that can come from a child’s embrace, with one follower writing, “When these young arms hit, its healing time. These hugs cure all ills.”
Another added, “Even the G.O.A.T. has a soft center ……………. woman does it all and still shows up as the world’s strongest mom.”
Williams’ post is hardly the first time she shared a glimpse of her and Olympia’s relationship.
At a live taping of “IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson,” the tennis star explained that she does not follow a rigid parenting philosophy.
Instead, she said she focuses on being present and doing what she believes is best for her children.
“Obviously, I have spiritual goals for the kids. I have, you know, ideas for education goals. I have those types of things, but I never really thought much about it. I don’t have a philosophy,” Williams said. “My philosophy is just to be the best that I can be to show up.”
For Williams, that has meant making an unusually deliberate effort to stay close to her children despite the demands of her career and business ventures. She said she did not spend more than 24 hours away from Olympia until her daughter turned 6.
“If I have to do something, I’m gone no more than 24 hours. Ever,” Williams said. “I didn’t leave Olympia until she was six for 24 hours.”
Williams acknowledged that some people might consider that approach excessive. She said her decision comes from how strongly she feels about being involved in her daughters’ everyday lives.
“I show up as much as I can every single day for the girls,” she said. “Because I feel like they mean the most to me, and I feel they need me, and they need to make sure, I wanna raise my children.”
She added that it’s important to play an active role in shaping the people her daughters become.
“I’m a person who’s raising my kids,” Williams said. “Teaching them how I want them to live and how I want them to be.”
Williams has also shown that hands-on parenting means tackling the tough moments. She candidly shared an instance of disciplining Olympia, revealing that after her daughter refused to go to bed on time, she was grounded from attending a sleepover.
“I told my daughter to go to bed. She did not; therefore, she missed out on her sleep over. She cried. But what she did not know is I cried harder,” Williams wrote. “I hate when she cries. Discipline sucks. But sometimes it’s important.”
The new photo also recalls another viral moment from late 2025, when Williams shared pictures showing just how dramatically Olympia had changed since her toddler years. Those images set off a similar wave of reactions from fans astonished by how fast she was growing up.
Williams has continued documenting those changes while offering her daughter words of encouragement. She wrote over the last slide, “Dear daughter, I hope you can always hear my voice saying, ‘You’ve got this,’ when the world feels too loud.”
