Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian makes special offer to Coco Gauff after a track and field athlete's "startle" claim

Serena Williams' husband, Alexis Ohanian, recently sent a cheeky message to Coco Gauff. The Reddit co-founder offered the WTA No. 3 a spot in the next edition of the women's track and field competition he founded. Ohanian's offer came on the back of New Zealand track and field athlete Zoe Hobbs expressing her admiration for Gauff.

On Thursday, February 20, the official X (formerly Twitter) handle of Athlos, the Alexis Ohanian-owned women's-only track and field competition, posted a video of Zoe Hobbs claiming that she would be "startled" if she met Coco Gauff in person.

"Someone who would startle me if I came across them would be Coco Gauff. I've recently become quite a new fan of tennis, so I was fortunate to go to the ASB Classic in New Zealand. And I was just so impressed with the power that they have. To see them actually play in person is so different to seeing them on TV, and Coco, being one of the best in the world, I think it would be awesome to meet her," Hobbs said.

Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian later reshared the video with a playful caption as he teased Coco Gauff with a spot in the next edition of Athlos.

"I got a spot waiting for you in a trackside suite @CocoGauff 💪 ATHLOS 25," Ohanian wrote.

Earlier this year, Ohanian had voiced his support for Gauff after a hurdler shared an experience featuring the WTA No. 3 from the 2024 Paris Olympics.

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Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian supported Coco Gauff after Alaysha Johnson's Paris Olympics revelation

Serena Williams (left) with husband Alexis Ohanian (right) and daughter Olympia (center) at the 2024 Paris Olympics (Source: Getty)

In January 2025, hurdler Alaysha Johnson revealed via an Athlos-produced video that she was 'starstruck' by Coco Gauff at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Johnson recalled how Gauff acknowledged her, mentioning her unique style that often involves self-made uniforms and frozen glasses.

"They asked was I starstruck by anybody at the Olympics? Actually Coco Gauff. Aleia Hobbs wanted to take a picture with Coco Gauff, and she was super scared. So I went over and I'm like, "Miss Coco, can we get a picture? She said, I know who you are. You're the girl that wears the frozen glasses and makes her own uniform." And I was like, "you know me?"," Johnson said in the video.

Serena Williams' husband, Alexis Ohanian, later shared the video as an Instagram Story and included a supportive message directed at both Gauff and Johnson.

"Here for Coco Gauff and Alaysha Johnson," Ohanian captioned the Instagram Story.

Ohanian and Williams have been happily married since 2017 and are parents to two daughters, Olympia (born in 2017) and Adira River (born in 2023).