Yahoo Finance Alexis Ohanian Declares Serena Williams the 'Greatest Athlete' with Powerful Statement Tee
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Alexis Ohanian has never held back when it comes to defending wife Serena Williams, and his latest show of support involves a powerful statement tee.
The Reddit co-founder, 37, arrived at the Australian Open semifinals match on Tuesday wearing a white t-shirt embossed with a photo of the tennis star, 39, and the words "GREATEST FEMALE ATHLETE." The crossed-out word is seemingly a dig at critics who continue to downplay Williams' achievements — especially in comparison to male athletes who are less dominate in their sport.
Ohanian, who accessorized with a blue tie-dye face mask, tweeted a photo of himself in the crowd alongside a simple kissy face emoji.
— §AlexisOhanian 7️⃣7️⃣6️⃣ (@alexisohanian) February 16, 2021
"Yess represent your wife!!!!!" one person responded. A second wrote, "you better let them know," with a punching emoji.
RELATED: Serena Williams on How Getting Married, Starting Family Helped Her Realize There's 'More to Life'
On Feb. 4, Nike unveiled a pullover version of the same graphic on Instagram with the caption, "Being a champion isn't just about lifting trophies. It's about making history time and again."
"Celebrate some of @serenawilliams' greatest moments in her career — so far — with the Serena Iconic Tee Pack," the post continued. "Shop Now. Link in Bio."
Williams defeated No. 2 seed Simona Halep on Tuesday and will face Naomi Osaka in the finals Melbourne, Australia.
RELATED: Serena Williams Honors Olympic Great Florence Griffith Joyner in One-Leg Catsuit at Australian Open
On the first day of the tournament, the tennis star won her match, beating Germany's Laura Siegemund 6-1, 6-1.
Her outfit also packed a meaningful sartorial punch. The tennis champion wore a color-block, asymmetric, one-legged Nike catsuit, which was worn as a tribute to the late great track star Florence Griffith Joyner.
Cameron Spencer/Getty
"I was inspired by Flo-Jo, who was a wonderful track athlete, amazing athlete when I was growing up," Williams said after the match, according to ESPN. "Watching her fashion, just always changing, her outfits were always amazing."
Though first-round matches at Grand Slams rarely pose any threat for Williams, as Yahoo! Sports reported, the renowned athlete was worried that a shoulder injury would affect her gameplay.
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"I was happy just to get through it," she told reporters, per the outlet. "Wasn't sure how my serve would be after a little bit of that shoulder, but it's feeling good, I'm feeling good. So it felt really good."
And, as Williams also noted during a post-game interview, getting to play amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and after a tumultuous year means a lot to her.
"Listen, this is amazing," she said of competing. "Last year was very crazy for the world and to be able to do what I love and to be able to come out and compete and play the Grand Slam after the last 12 months, it makes me appreciate the moment even more."
