Serena Williams explains why she didn't thank her fiance in Australian Open speech

After winning her record 23rd Grand Slam title, Serena Williams thanked her coach, her family, her agent and the tournament director of the Australian Open.

One person notably absent from her post-match speech was her fiancè Alexis Ohanian. This of course didn't go unnoticed by ESPN commentators Chris McKendry and Chris Evert.

In an interview on ESPN, McKendry praised Ohanian for being Williams' biggest cheerleader. So why didn't Serena thank him publicly after the win?

"I always forget people. After 20, 30 years, I'm still forgetting," she said with a laugh.  "I like to keep it simple because in the past people get angry, people cry. I'm like, listen I'm only going to thank my coach, my hitter, my right-hand guy, (agent) Jill (Smoller)."

And did having Ohanian in Melbourne help Williams stay relaxed and get off to a strong start in this tournament? That question was posed to Serena by Evert.

"I don’t think so; I just think I was really just calm," Williams said.  "Something about not being top dog gives me … something to strive for. Not that I didn’t have that motivation before, but it just makes me even hungrier."

Of course, Twitter took notice with some criticizing the line of questioning. For her part, Serena didn't seem to mind it but she wasn't about to show off the diamond ring she wore during the interview.

PHOTOS: Serena wins Australian Open