Serena Williams might not be at this year’s US Open, but she is keeping a close eye on proceedings from afar – specifically, her sister Venus’ surprise run in the women’s doubles.
Serena Williams might not be at this year’s US Open, but she is keeping a close eye on proceedings from afar – specifically, her sister Venus’ surprise run in the women’s doubles. Venus and partner Leylah Fernandez reached the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Zhang Shuai and Ekaterina Alexandrova on Monday having not dropped a set in the competition.
They will face top seeds Taylor Townsend and Kateřina Siniaková next, and that match will have keen interest from 23-time grand slam singles champion Serena, who has been watching with her family back home. “She’s definitely coaching from afar,” Venus told reporters about having support from her sister. “She’s so excited. She gets so nervous watching, and she’s got the kids watching, they’re all at home, just really on our side.” Which begs the question: Might Serena pay a visit to New York to watch some of her sister’s matches in person? “If she came, it would be a dream for both of us and we’d have her on the court coaching,” said Venus, before jokingly adding: “We’d force her to hit, even though she doesn’t hit often. It’s probably best she doesn’t come because we’d probably bully her.” While Serena stepped away from competitive tennis at the US Open three years ago, 45-year-old Venus, a seven-time grand slam singles champion, is still making occasional appearances at the highest level. She accepted a wild card entry into the women’s singles draw – managing to take a set off 11th seed Karolina Muchová in the first round – and also appeared alongside Reilly Opelka in the mixed doubles. But it’s in the women’s doubles that she’s had most success with Fernandez, a former singles finalist at Flushing Meadows in 2021. “At first, I was thinking, ‘No. I’m not very good at doubles,’” Venus said about the decision to enter the women’s doubles. “I haven’t played a lot of tennis in general. I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I don’t want to get out there and be making mistakes.’ “But then an hour later, I was like, I think I want to. At first, I was just thinking, ‘I don’t know if I can actually do it.’ Then I was thinking, ‘Okay, maybe I can. Maybe we have a chance to just get in the draw.’” As for her 22-year-old partner, Fernandez says that it’s been a huge learning curve to play alongside one of the game’s most experienced and decorated players. Venus won 14 grand slam doubles titles with Serena between 1999 and 2016, as well as three Olympic gold medals. “I’m growing a lot, actually,” Fernandez told reporters. “I feel like my team members and even my family say, ‘Wow, you are growing just by playing with Venus, learning from her.’ “I mean, you may not say much on the bench, but whatever you say, I’m like a sponge and kind of soaking everything in. It’s a huge opportunity for me to just learn from such a great champion, a legend like you.”
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