Serena

Like other goddesses— Athena, Artemis, Oprah—Serena only needs one name. She opens her home, and her heart, to Ashley C. Ford, as they talk body, beauty...And baby.

When I take off my shoes in Serena Williams’s entryway, I say a silent prayer: God, please don’t let her notice I’m wearing Pac-Man socks. In addition to being the world’s greatest athlete (no argument), she’s a known fashionista. Williams holds an astonishing 23 Grand Slam singles titles, a slew of doubles trophies, and four Olympic gold medals. In her spare time she had a baby, got married to Initialized Capital and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, and started a clothing company. And here I stand in her lovely Florida home wearing novelty Sega-inspired socks.

Luckily for me, Williams is also dressed casually. I recognize her sweats, the gray weekend lounge pair from her clothing line, Serena. More importantly, I see the bundle of unmitigated joy on her hip—her daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. Little girls who share a full name with their fathers are uncommon, but Williams isn’t the kind of person to follow a norm just because it exists. They call the baby Olympia.

From the time I step into the house until we prepare to leave for a walk around the neighborhood, Williams never stops moving. For someone with a new baby, she has quite a bit of white furniture, and as she spins from room to room, I notice that every surface holds two or three toys.