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They say Rome was not built in a day. For Alexis Ohanian and Serena Williams, a chance encounter in Rome in 2015 took just one year to blossom into a serious relationship. Serena was playing at the Italian Open. Alexis was speaking at the Festival of Media Global conference and both were staying at the same hotel. Must be thinking it was a typical love at first sight story? Far from it!
Serena was at the poolside for breakfast when fate took a strike. “That big guy comes and he just plops down at the table next to us and I am like, ‘Huh, all these tables and he is sitting here?’” was Serena’s reaction at the first sight of Alexis. Someone from Serena’s team revealed that Alexis saw a rat near his table, which made him change his place! The tale that started at the breakfast table had its culmination in December 2016, when the two came back to the same hotel and the same table and Alexis proposed to Serena. And guess what was there on their table amid other things?
A small plastic rat! “I felt like a door had been opened to a person who made me want to be my best self. I find myself just wanting to be better by simply being around her because of the standard she holds,” Alexis had said about getting along with Serena. On November 18, the couple sat down for a Spike Sessions chat on Lingo to answer who opened that door for the first time. But they won’t reveal that without fighting over it!
They answered questions about their relationship while monitoring their glucose levels with Lingo biosensors. As they reminisced, they were asked who said “I love you” first. The couple hilariously gave opposite answers. While Alexis wrote ‘Serena,‘ the 23-time Grand Slam champion answered exactly the opposite, as she suggested Alexis admitted first. But the Reddit co-founder called Serena out: “Come on now, you going to lie on this?”
“I said I will be honest,” Serena wasn’t stepping back. But Alexis was firm. “That’s not the honest answer. I still remember that phone call. You know I felt the same way, but you definitely said it first.” Serena eventually admitted defeat to Alexis, as she shared a funny tidbit: “My glucose was high,” she recalled.
“Tequila,” Alexis seemed to correct her. But Serena continued with her story. “I had some gelato. My glucose was too high, next thing I know I’m calling this guy and I’m like saying things I wouldn’t normally say, ‘I love you…’” This moment surprised even the GOAT herself! Well, surprises are aplenty in their story. Take their first date, for instance.
