Venus Williams Issues Bold Serena Williams Call After Ending 9-Year Wait at US Open

Venus Williams made the right move by keeping her US Open dreams alive through the women’s doubles. She paired up with Leylah Fernandez and pushed through Ekaterina Alexandrova and Zhang Shuai, advancing to the quarterfinal match. It was a historic moment for Williams, as she entered a Grand Slam quarterfinal for the first time since the 2017 Wimbledon. And it’s her first doubles Slam quarterfinal since 2016. But, as she quenched the 9-year-old drought, Williams decided to send a clear message to her younger sister, Serena Williams. 

Needless to say, the entire world misses the action that the 23-time Grand Slam title winner used to being on the court. And her 45-year-old sister seemed to feel the same way. After winning the US Open women’s doubles round of 16 with a scoreline of 6-3, 6-4, Venus Williams made it abundantly clear that she wants her sister around. During the post-match interview, she said, “She’s [Serena Williams] given us advice, and we just need her in the box. So, my message is, Serena, you need to show up.” 

After Serena Williams hung up her racket back in 2022, the tennis community has kept making hypothetical situations with the 43-year-old in the spotlight. Even Venus misses pairing up with her sister. She once said, “We always did everything together, so of course I miss her. But if she comes back, I’m sure she’ll let y’all know.” To make things a bit worrying, Serena was absent from the stands for the majority of the time as her sister proceeded to compete in the US Open.

Nevertheless, Venus and Leylah Fernandez got the support from Serena’s daughters throughout their game. During the post-match press conference, Venus stated, “Well, I just got a video of my nieces watching the name and yelling my name… So, I feel like I’m getting quality time with them still, even though I’m not there.” But the wishful thinking continued. “If she [Serena’s 2YO daughter] 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.” 

But partnering with Fernandez was a pretty unique experience for Venus Williams. Venus never really played with a partner other than Serena. And the older Williams sister found it exciting to pair up with Fernandez. After all, Fernandez seemed to have the same style. But the tiny voice inside us all still wants to witness the return of Serena Williams.

But do you know that the 73-time WTA singles title winner also misses the action on the court? 

Serena Williams admits to missing tennis

During a conversation on The Today Show, Serena Williams weighed in on the world asking her about her comeback. She stated, “I don’t know if I get tired of it. I don’t really hear the noise or listen to it. I kind of mute out everything. I’ve gotten really good at muting out the noise. But you know what, it’s a sport that I’ve always loved.”

We have to agree that Serena Williams is an irreplaceable part of the tennis community. And just like we miss her on-court action, she misses her stance around the net as well. She admitted, “I do. I think there’s a part of me that will always miss tennis, because it was something you do for your entire life. From the day you remember, you always had a goal. Then one day you wake up, and that’s not your goal anymore, and it’s a huge change. I’ve had so many great times, and yeah, I can always take solace in that.”

But will she ever return? The answer to that is likely ‘no’. As a mother of two, she acknowledged that she has evolved away from the world of tennis. But we can certainly keep on hoping for her appearance sometime in a future exhibition match. 

Until then, follow EssentiallySports Live Blog for more updates from Flushing Meadows!