Serena Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian has stated that he didn’t like tennis before he started dating the former World No. 1. Ohanian has organized a women-only track event, Athlos, promising to change the convention and close the pay gap.

Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian crossed paths in Rome in 2015, started dating in 2016, and took their wedding vows in 2017.

In a recent interview, he discussed his disinterest in women’s sports in 2019 and how tennis was not on his list before he started dating one of the greatest players. However. he was quick to recognize the prowess of women’s tennis, which gained as much popularity as men’s in America.

“I was not at all a women’s sports fan in 2019. I wasn’t. I certainly enjoyed tennis. I loved cheering on my wife. I didn’t even like, didn’t even like tennis until I started dating,” he shared.

Ohanian added:

“I came around real quick, but what was so compelling was women’s tennis was so exhilarating, so exciting, not just because I’m married to the GOAT, but because it was actually just an amazing sport. You don’t think twice. Of course, women’s tennis is just as popular in America as men’s.” (via CITIUS Mag)

Ohanian launched 776 Invitational (Athlos) to give recognition to women athletes, offering a platform for them to showcase their personalities. The prize money for race winners in Athlos will receive $60,000, and $20,000 and $10,000 for the silver and bronze finishers, respectively.

Serena Williams’ husband thought of a revolutionary women-only track event but was not sure of its execution. He called the five-time Olympic medalist Gabby Thomas and showed interest in learning about the track and making the 776 Invitational happen with a higher prize pool than the Diamond League.

Gabby Thomas, the reigning Olympic 200m champion, lauded Ohanian for being a good listener and gradually learning track lingos despite knowing nothing initially.

“I mean, Alexis called me before. This was even a possibility of thought. You know, we didn’t even know where the location was going to be, who was going to be running, what events were going to be running. And he just, he really cared. And what’s really cool about him is he just sat down and listened, right?” (via FloTrack)

She added:

“He didn’t know a thing about track. And now he’s using track lingo, but he’s talking about, you know, foot support in the races, which I really appreciate.”

Besides 776, Serena Williams’ husband also invested in Angel City FC in 2020, which was then awarded a new franchise in the National Women’s Soccer League.

Edited by Neelabhra Roy