Serena Williams Tried To Scare Off Her Husband The First Time They Met

Serena and Alexis may seem like a match in heaven, but it was not love at first sight. On a 2018 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the tennis icon told the story of how she and her husband met by chance. Apparently, the couple crossed paths in May 2015 at the Cavalieri Hotel in Rome. Serena was scheduled to play her next match at the Italian Open a few hours later and decided to have a buffet with her team at the hotel.

While they were seated, Alexis, whom the icon described as a " big tall guy," walked in and somehow pulled a chair next to Serena's group. Unfortunately, the group didn't like Alexis's presence and came up with an idea to get him to leave. According to Serena, they tried to scare him off by telling him there was a rat under the table, but it didn't work, and they eventually gave in. 

In a candid conversation on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert in 2018, Alexis gave his own account of how he crossed paths with his wife. According to him, they had not planned to meet. Instead, he attended an internet conference in Rome when he met one of the world's most notable sports stars, who had come to play a tournament in the city.

Alexis was at a table waiting for his coffee when Williams's manager (an Australian) respectfully tried to make him leave by scaring him with rats. The "nerdy" guy—Reddit co-founder declined, adding that he was used to rats. 

This caught Williams's attention. Initially, her team wanted to get rid of the man, but she turned and asked, "You're not afraid of rats?" Their conversation later shifted to career talks. The tennis champion seemed a bit impressed and got his number.

Following their first meeting, Alexis and Serena later met in France after she invited him to her game (without any intention of actually seeing him). While Serena tried to blow him off, Alexis struggled to play the cool tech guy who was not starstruck by the sports guru. Eventually, they hung out, and after visiting a zoo, Alexis knew there was a connection.

Serena and Alexis officially started dating in 2015. In December 2016, just over a year after their chance meeting, the entrepreneur proposed, and the tennis icon said yes. Before they could exchange wedding vows, the couple welcomed their daughter, Olympia. Then in November 2017, they tied the knot in New Orleans in front of guests like Beyoncé and Kim Kardashian.

Five years later, Alexis and Serena are still together, waxing stronger by the day. For the couple, it has been nothing short of marital bliss. Hopefully, their love will last for a lifetime.