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Serena Williams Returns to Flushing Meadows: A New Chapter as a Mom
Serena Williams has never exactly slipped quietly into the background. Even in this new chapter of her life, the spotlight finds her – only now it often catches her with a daughter on each hip and a husband holding the camera.
Alexis Ohanian has been charting her return to Flushing Meadows with the pride of a fan and the intimacy of family. His latest posts show him and daughters Olympia and Adira in the stands, watching Serena share a court with Carlos Alcaraz. In one photograph, Ohanian wraps an arm around Olympia as she carries her younger sister, the three of them fixed on the action below.
“Always cheering for mama @serenawilliams (and @carlitosalcarazz !!),” he wrote. It felt less like a caption, more like a mission statement.
Back on the big stage
Williams and Alcaraz were handed a wild card into the revamped US Open mixed doubles event, a decision that turned into one of the most talked-about entries of the tournament. For Serena, it marked her first competitive appearance at Flushing Meadows since 2022, a return to the stadium that has framed some of the most ferocious tennis of the Open era.
The pairing started brightly. On Arthur Ashe Stadium, they brushed past Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool 5-3, 4-1 in the first round, a scoreline that hinted at how naturally Serena’s instincts still kick in when the lights go up. The run ended in the quarter-finals against Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli, a defeat that did little to dull the sense that something significant had been set in motion.
Because the comeback is not just a one-off cameo.
The sisters reunite
Williams’ return has rolled straight into another chapter, one written alongside the person who has been there from the very beginning. Serena and Venus have accepted a wildcard for the women’s doubles, reuniting one of the sport’s most decorated partnerships at the US Open.
They will open against 14th seeds Chan Hao-ching and Maya Joint, a tough draw that only adds to the intrigue. It will be the first time the sisters have played doubles together at this tournament since 2022, and every appearance carries a sense of history.
Their résumé together is staggering: 14 Grand Slam women’s doubles titles, including US Open triumphs in 1999 and 2009. They changed the way doubles could look – power, precision, intimidation – and now they walk back into the same arena, older, wiser, still dangerous.
A career that rewrote the record book
Serena’s individual record remains the benchmark. Twenty-three Grand Slam singles titles, the most by any woman in the Open era. Six US Open crowns. Seven at Wimbledon. Seven at the Australian Open. Her relationship with Arthur Ashe Stadium is carved into the sport’s memory, from teenage breakthroughs to late-career battles.
Her latest return comes four years after she stepped away from professional tennis following the 2022 US Open. The farewell never felt entirely final. Not with that competitive fire. Not with that connection to New York.
But something is undeniably different now.
Tennis, with an audience that calls her “Mom”
Williams has spoken openly about how it feels to compete with Olympia and Adira old enough to sit courtside and understand, at least in part, what their mother is doing out there. The roar of Ashe is no longer just for Serena the champion; it’s a soundtrack her daughters will remember.
Off the court, she has been just as clear about what matters most. Asked by Byrdie in 2024 what brings her the greatest happiness, she didn’t reach for trophies or titles.
“My kids,” she replied.
“I can’t say that a Wimbledon trophy holds a candle to volunteering at my kid’s school,” she said. For an athlete whose career has been measured in majors, it was a striking comparison, and an honest one.
Around Easter this year, she offered another rare glimpse behind the curtain, posting photos with Olympia, Adira and Ohanian. The caption cut straight to the point.
“I don’t share these moments often, but being their mom is my favourite place to be.
“I’m with them 363 out of 365 days a year – and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. This weekend was everything.”
So Serena Williams returns to Flushing Meadows with a racket in her hand, a sister at her side and two daughters in the stands. The records are already hers. The question now is simpler, and somehow bigger: how far can she push this latest chapter while keeping the role she values most – mom – at the very centre?
