Why Serena Williams' Daughter Is Played by a Body Double in Gatorade's New Commercial

A spokesperson for Gatorade told AdAge the real reason Alexis Olympian Jr. didn't make her acting debut.

By Elyse Dupre Nov 20, 2017 7:13 PMTags

Gatorade recently released a commercial that appears to star Serena Williams and her baby girl Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. However, it turns out that the tennis pro's daughter didn't appear in the spot at all.

According to AdAge, Gatorade hired a body double to play the nearly three-month old child after Williams' real daughter became sick.

"While Serena intended to have Olympia make her screen debut as part of this film, her daughter was under the weather and unable to be on set, but the sentiment remains the same," a Gatorade spokeswoman told AdAge in an email.

Even though fans may be disappointed to learn that the baby in the commercial isn't actually Williams' daughter, they may still be inspired by the ad's message. In the video, the tennis star shares all of the lessons she's learned from sports, including finding strength in one's teammates and setting goals. It also features pictures of famous women playing sports as children, including actress Allison Williams and YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki.

Watch the video to see the ad.

The tennis champion welcomed Alexis Olympia into this world with Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian almost three months ago. It's been a busy time for the family of three ever since. The proud parents tied the knot on Nov. 16. The baby girl even made an appearance down the aisle.

This isn't the first time the athlete has starred in a Gatorade commercial. In 2015, she appeared in a series of spots following her 21st Grand Slam. In the advertisements, she talked about all of the values she's gained throughout her athletic career, including determination and visualization.

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