Serena Williams will not celebrate daughter’s first birthday because of Jehovah’s Witness beliefs
Alexis Olympia turns one this week - but there won't be any big celebrations in the Williams-Ohanian household
SERENA WILLIAMS will not celebrate her daughter's one-year-old birthday - because she is a Jehovah's Witness.
The tennis star often posts photos to social media of her family life - but there won't be any party pictures from Alexis Olympia's special day.
Williams was asked about how she would be celebrating her daughter's birthday at a press conference at the US Open.
She replied: "Olympia doesn’t celebrate birthdays. We’re Jehovah’s Witnesses, so we don’t do that."
Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate religious holidays such as Christmas and Easter, and do not celebrate birthdays either.
They believe that these 'festivals' have pagan origins.
All about it... Jehovah's Witnesses
THERE are more than eight million Jehovah's Witnesses in the world.
The religious group is separate from mainstream Christian churches.
Members follow an interpretation of the Bible taught by preacher Charles Taze Russell in Pennsylvania, US, in the late 19th century.
They believe God will end the present world, which belongs to Satan, and create a new Kingdom to restore His original purpose on earth.
Only 144,000 people will go to heaven, with others continuing to live on the new Earth and obey God, also called Jehovah.
Many members quit their jobs and sold their homes and businesses after the organisation predicted Armageddon would come in 1975.
Members are best known for preaching door-to-door and for handing out the magazines Watchtower and Awake!
Famously they refuse blood transfusions, believing it is banned by Bible teachings, leading to court battles between parents and doctors treating sick kids.
Williams married Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian in a lavish $1million ceremony in November last year at the New Orleans' Contemporary Arts Center.
Captioning a photo of the happy couple posted on Instagram, Ohanian wrote: "You are the greatest of all time, not just in sport--I’m talking about as a mother and as a wife."
She said: "Being a Jehovah’s Witness is important to me, but I’ve never really practiced it and have been wanting to get into it.
"Alexis didn’t grow up going to any church, but he’s really receptive and even takes the lead. He puts my needs first."
Serena prefers to call her daughter Olympia, and she told Vogue "we’re not spending a day apart until she’s eighteen".
Her husband, Alexis Ohanian is based in San Francisco and Williams admitted she found the idea of moving there and being a full time mum attractive.
However, she stated: "But not yet. I absolutely want more Grand Slams."
Serena has reached the final of Wimbledon in her first appearance at SW19 since becoming a mother.
She is currently competing in the US Open at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.