A year after giving birth to her baby daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., under some terrifying circumstances, Serena Williams is back and taking over the tennis court at the U.S. Open. On Thursday, September 6, she defeated Anastasija Sevastova to move on to the final on Saturday, and no one celebrated harder than her biggest fan, husband Alexis Ohanian. On Friday (September 7) the Reddit cofounder uploaded a touching video tribute to his iconic wife to celebrate her triumphant return.
“She fought for her life, for our child, for recognition, for equal pay, for women’s rights. She never gives up,” he wrote in the caption. “She’s passionate and unrelenting and the most inspiring person I know. I had this made for @serenawilliams last night after her match with some home videos from 1 year ago this week. Help me make sure she sees it! #iloveyouserena.”
The video begins with Williams giving an interview after her match on Thursday before cutting to footage of her in the hospital with her newborn daughter shortly after giving birth. “A year ago, you were not here,” the interviewer says in the voice-over. “What does it mean to return to the final stage a year later?”
“It’s honestly really incredible. A year ago, I was fighting for literally my life at the hospital after I had the baby,” Williams says, as the footage shows her doing exactly that. “So every day I step out on this court, I am so grateful that I have an opportunity to play this sport, you know?” she continues, sounding like she’s tearing up. “So no matter what happens at any match, semis, finals, it feels like I’ve already won.”
Um, I’m not crying—you’re crying.
In other adorable Williams-Ohanian family news, Alexis Olympia recently celebrated her mom’s U.S. Open return by wearing a tiny tutu that matched Williams’s instantly iconic looks on the court. “Did Momma win?” reads the caption on Williams’s Instagram. The cute is just too much to handle.
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