Like Serena Williams, her husband Alexis Ohanian has an inspirational story behind his success. During the early months after launching Reddit, he received heartbreaking news of the cancer diagnosis of his mother. Alexis’ mother, Anke Ohanian, had an inoperable tumor in her brain.

Despite his mother’s cancer diagnosis, Alexis kept working, day in and day out, to ensure the success of his company while taking care of her health. He once revealed some emotional words from his mother after her cancer diagnosis.

Alexis Ohanian on his mother’s support

As Alexis came across the news that his mother was suffering from cancer, the first thing his mother told to him was, “I’m sorry.” 

Further, Alexis said, “At a moment when she should have been most concerned with her own health, she was apologizing to me, because she didn’t want that weighing on my conscience while I was trying to do everything else I wanted to do up in Boston, where our company was.”

READ MORE: ‘Maybe One Day’ – Serena Williams’ Husband Alexis Ohanian Reveals Life-Long Wish to Don a Powerful Marvel Character

Talking about the confidence he received from his mother, Alexis said, “To be able to call my mom as soon as the bank account cleared and tell her—before I told TechCrunch—to tell my mother her confidence in me was not wasted was the best part, absolutely the best part.”

Serena Williams spends time with her family in Toronto

Recently, Alexis shared a picture on Twitter with Serena and their daughter Olympia during their outing in Toronto last week. The trio visited the Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament, a theme restaurant.

Although Serena’s campaign in Toronto ended in the second round, she put in a great fight in her final tournament in the country. As she nears her retirement, the American legend delivered an emotional address during her farewell speech in Toronto.

WATCH THIS STORY: ‘Seems to Get Injured a Lot’ – Martina Navratilova Once Used Serena Williams’ Example to Talk About the ‘Fragmented’ Nature of Women’s Tennis. 

Serena is currently in Cincinnati, where she’ll take on Emma Raducanu in the opening round later today.