3 boyfriends Serena Williams dated before marrying Alexis Ohanian ft. Drake

Serena Williams is one of the most decorated tennis stars of all time. The American often made headlines for her brilliance on-court, but her life off-court was in the limelight too. Williams is now married to Alexis Ohanian, but has been linked romantically with other celebrities in the past.

Williams started dating Ohanian in 2015 before marrying him a year later. The couple have been blessed with two children since then, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr and Adira River. Before tying the knot, Williams was involved in a few high-profile relationships, involving one involving a tennis player.

Here is a list of three boyfriends Williams was linked with in the press before she married Alexis Ohanian:

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#1 Brett Ratner

Serena Williams (L) and Brett Ratner

Serena Williams dated famous Hollywood director Brett Ratner briefly from 2004 to 2006. Ratner has directed famous movies like X-man, Horrible Bosses and Rush Hour and is one of the most renowned personalities in Hollywood.

Williams and Ratner seemed like a match made in heaven as a sports superstar met celebrity stardom, however, their relationship couldn’t last long. Williams broke up with Ratner, as she felt ‘disrespected’ when he chose to visit a party in New York instead of attending one of her matches.

During an ABC Family Reality Show, ‘Venus and Serena: For Real’, Ratner showed up multiple times as Serena’s boyfriend, confirming their relationship.

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#2 Drake

Drake pictured at one of Williams' matches

Serena Williams and music icon Drake seemed like a match made in heaven. Drake was seen in Serena Williams' box during her Wimbledon 2011 matches in London. The couple were spotted together at matches and in restaurants during their time together.

Soon after one of her matches at Wimbledon, Drake took to social media and posted a tweet tagging the tennis legend.

"@serenawilliams I cannot wait to put it on you and make you sweat [.....] during our match this weekend," Drake tweeted after the match.

Drake and Williams were spotted together at a restaurant in August 2015 after the American won the WTA tournament in Cincinnati. The couple eventually drifted apart towards the end of 2015 when Williams started dating her now-husband, Alexis Ohanian.

However, despite their breakup, the couple share a great bond. The American rapper showed his support for Williams during her Wimbledon matches in 2018.

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#3 Common

Common (L) and Serena Williams

American rapper Common and Serena Williams dated for over two years before parting ways in 2010. Williams met Common during the shoot of his hit song I Want You in 2007, and the couple started dating soon afterwards.

The duo were often spotted together during music shows and events before their reported break-up in 2010.

While appearing on a talk show in 2015, Common confirmed that he did date Williams before they decided to end their relationship. The rapper said that he still cared about the American tennis ace even after they parted ways.

"Me and Serena were together. We broke up. It eventually was a mutual breakup, but she initiated it ... It's okay though, for me we got a great understanding and I care about her as a person," Common said while talking about his relationship with Williams.

The duo came later together in 2016 for an ESPN interview, "The Undefeated In-Depth: Serena with Common". They talked about racism and the difficulties faced by female athletes in sports, among other topics.