Serena Williams’ relatively low-key relationship with internet entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian has been elevated to the spotlight following confirmation of the couple’s engagement.
Williams, who is set to make her return to professional tennis next week, confirmed the engagement in a post uploaded on Reddit, a website that was co-founded by Ohanian in 2005. In the post, the 22-time grand slam champion described how she was taken to Rome and proposed to.
An hour after Williams posted the announcement, Ohanian wrote in the comments section ‘And you made me the happiest man on the planet.’
Self-proclaimed ‘geek’ Ohanian currently has a net worth of approximately $4.5, which is a fraction of Williams’ estimated 150 million. The University of Virginia graduate has explored numerous opportunities since he co-founded Reddit, a website which currently has a global ranking of 24th on Alex.com. Apart from helping various startup companies, the 33-year-old is also a bestselling author with his book ‘“harnessing the power of the web for good”.
Confirmation of Williams’ relationship with Ohanian began to emerge in October 2015 following a report published by Us Weekly. The report said that the two meet ‘at a lunch’ in an unknown location. Since then, the two have managed to dodge media attention with little details about their relationship being released to the public. A month ago Williams uploaded a picture of the couple attending a fancy dress party.
The unexpected announcement comes as Williams arrives in New Zealand ahead of her maiden debut at the ASB Classic, where she will be the top seed. It will be the first time that the American has played a competitive match since the US Open after ending her season early due to a shoulder injury.
“It’s always fun to go places you’ve never been,” Williams told 1 news on her arrival in New Zealand.
“I’m excited to be here.”
The ASB Classic will begin on January 2nd.
