Serena Williams shares 'unfiltered' photos of life with her two daughters

Serena Williams is giving fans a candid, relatable glimpse into motherhood, sharing new photos capturing an exhausted but tender moment with her two daughters, Olympia, 9, and Adira, 3. 

In the snaps, Williams holds Adira on her lap while Olympia rests her head against her, with Williams closing her eyes in a moment of quiet fatigue.

Earlier this month, Williams had also shared lighter family moments on Instagram, including photos of Olympia and Adira posing in front of giant black-and-white images of her playing tennis during a shopping trip to Nike, captioned playfully, "@olympiaohanian and @adiraohanian took a little detour while shopping at @nike today… but Mama's always watching." 

In May, Williams joined Michelle Obama for a live taping of IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson, where she discussed the challenge of balancing motherhood with her career. 

"I really try to be a present parent," she said. "And sometimes that's hard, especially with the lives that we live, it's very hard to be present, but I try to be extremely present." 

Asked how she manages to stay grounded, Williams said everything she does now revolves "around my kids."

Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam champion who retired from professional tennis in 2022, shares both daughters with husband Alexis Ohanian: Olympia, born in September 2017, and Adira, born in August 2023.

Williams has spoken previously about wanting her daughters to feel free to pursue their own individual passions rather than following in her tennis footsteps, telling Byrdie in 2024 that she hopes they "see how many different passions I have, from tennis to beauty, and learn that they can lead dynamic careers and lives across their many interests."