VENUS Williams has called on sister Serena to jump on a private jet and head over to New York City in response to an amusing TikTok video that went viral.
At the age of 45, the elder Williams sister is having the time of her life this fortnight at the US Open.
Venus Williams made a plea to sister Serena after her latest US Open doubles win[/caption]
Venus and Leylah Fernandez reached the quarterfinals of the women’s doubles[/caption]
Though she lost in the first round of the singles competition, Williams and scratch partner Leylah Fernandez are making the most of their wildcards in the women’s doubles event.
On Labor Day in the United States, the American-Canadian duo eliminated Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova and China’s Zhang Shuai 6-3 6-4 from the third round.
It would be an extraordinary situation if Williams – who won the women’s doubles Championship in the Big Apple with Serena in 1999 and 2009 – goes all the way.
Montreal-born Fernandez, 22, is searching for a maiden major, having lost in the 2021 singles final to British superstar Emma Raducanu.
The more the pair win, the further they progress, the more buzz they will generate in the City That Never Sleeps and the fans on the Louis Armstrong Stadium were loudly rooting for them to go further.
Serena – who retired after the 2022 US Open – is a successful businesswoman these days, investing her millions into various companies.
The 43-year-old, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, is also a mum of two daughters and has enough on her agenda to keep herself busy.
But she does travel when she fancies it – in fact, she was in Newport, Rhode Island, the other week to support former rival Maria Sharapova as the Russian was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Everyone is wondering how far Venus could go and if she is able to roll back the years with a vintage display.
Serena recently broke her silence about Venus entering a Grand Slam tennis tournament with a doubles partner that is not her by posting an amusing video on social media that has generated more than two millions views.
Jokingly rolling her eyes and pulling a few fake smiles, Serena captioned the clip: “When you see your sister Venus Williams has a new doubles partner Leylah Fernandez and you are really happy she’s winning with someone else…”
Venus used the platform of her latest victory to request that Serena come up state to watch the rest of her matches.
Venus said: “Honestly, I think she had a very funny TikTok. But really, she is so happy for Leylah and I, she has given us advice.
“We just need her in the box. So my message is: ‘Serena, you need to show up.’”
She added: “I just got a video of my nieces watching the match and yelling my name. The little one is barely two. She’s just yelling, and so I feel like I’m getting quality time with them still, even though I’m not there.
Venus said it would be a “dream” to have sister Serena come and watch her[/caption]
“If Serena came, it would be a dream for both of us and we’d have her on the court coaching. 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.”
On the crowd’s support at Flushing Meadows, Venus said: “I’m telling you, we can feel your energy, it puts us up.
“Whenever we have a moment where it is not going exactly perfect, you guys bring us up. So, thank you.
“It’s so funny, mid-match I told Leylah that Serena once told me, ‘I have to do this more’. Leylah said: ‘My sister told me the same thing.’ The same exact advice. It’s so funny.
“We are on the same wavelength. Hopefully we can keep it that way.”
Fernandez said: “There’s not a lot of talk about strategy. We look at our opponents a little bit.
“I have full confidence in Venus and I hope she has full confidence in me during the match.
“We are going out there, playing our game, being offensive, aggressive, and ready for the ball.
“Venus, I have said this a million times, seeing you play on court with the same big smile that you had back then, it’s so inspirational. It motivates me to keep going. I love that you love tennis.”
How to watch the 2025 US Open
THE tennis world has descended upon New York City for the fourth and final slam of the year.
The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows will have the eyes of the sporting universe upon it.
The 2025 US Open takes place from Sunday 24 August to Sunday 7 September.
And there is a standalone mixed-double competition as well as qualifying taking place in the week beforehand.
ESPN is showing every moment live for fans in the United States, and you can sign up below.
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