Serena Williams recently shared a humorous story about how her childhood dream of becoming a gymnast was quickly dismissed by her father, Richard Williams. In the latest episode of Stockton Street, her podcast with sister Venus Williams, the duo sat down with track-and-field star Gabby Thomas, where the anecdote came up during their conversation.

The spotlight soon shifted to the 23-time Major champion, who revealed that she once dreamed of becoming a gymnast as a backup plan. However, her father quickly shut down the idea.

“I desperately wanted to be a gymnast. One day my dad was like, ‘What would you do if it doesn’t work out in tennis?’ I would say, ‘I want to be a gymnast’. One day my dad took me aside and he’s like, ‘You can’t say that anymore’. I was also like 10 years old. When I tell you I was devastated, my heart sank, and I felt like, ‘You crushed my dreams of being a gymnast!'” Serena Williams said.

Venus Williams went on to explain why their father’s decision made sense. Serena had already grown too tall, and gymnastics is a sport that requires athletes to start training at a very young age. In the end, though, everything worked out exactly as it was meant to.

Aside from Gabby Thomas, the Williams sisters also spoke with Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Sha’Carri Richardson. They managed to bring together three of the fastest women in the world thanks to Athlos 2025, a track-and-field event created by Serena’s husband, Alexis Ohanian. The event took place last month, and the former World No. 1 was also in attendance.

Serena Williams steals the spotlight at Athlos 2025

Serena Williams’ husband, Alexis Ohanian, created Athlos with the goal of elevating and promoting women’s sports. The second edition of the track-and-field event was held last month.

Serena Williams attended the event to support her husband’s initiative, turning heads with her stylish ensemble for the evening. She also played a key role in the ceremony, personally crowning the winners with Tiffany crowns.

This year’s edition of Athlos was a tremendous success, surpassing the inaugural event in every metric. Among the standout winners were Brittany Brown, Masai Russell, and Tara Davis-Woodhall.