

The US Open, after facing major backlash owing to its take on Novak Djokovic’s participation, is now catching pace. The events that will eventually lead to the opening rounds have started. Rafael Nadal kicked-off the proceedings by partnering with Iga Swiatek for a charity match against Coco Gauff and John McEnroe. Now, stars like Venus Williams and Frances Tiafoe spiced up the Arthur Ashe Kids’ day celebration with some entertaining challenges.
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The seven-time Grand Slam champion joined hands with the team of ‘Dude Perfect’ to celebrate the Kids’ Day in a unique way. Here’s a clip of her completing an absurdly amusing challenge.
Venus Williams starts the Grand Slam in style
Williams took up the challenge of hitting a ball in a small circle full of balls placed in the middle of the court from the first tier of the Louis Armstrong Stadium. She stood amongst the crowd, aimed for the circle, and surprised the spectators, including herself, by executing the task flawlessly on her first try. In fact, she also did a hilarious celebratory dance.
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Apart from Venus Williams, the Indian Wells reigning champion Taylor Fritz, the current World no.3 Maria Sakkari and Serena Williams’ former mixed doubles partner Frances Tiafoe also joined in on the action.
The sports and comedy group consisting of Tyler “Beard” Toney, twins Cory and Coby Cotton, Garrett “Purple Hoser” Hilbert, and Cody “Tall Guy” Jones came up with ideas such as making the pros play with a frying pan and using a huge racket to entertain the crowd.
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Venus’ performances since her comeback
The former World no.1, after keeping out of the tour for almost a year, made a comeback to the tour in mixed doubles at the Wimbledon Championships. Despite her spirited effort with Jamie Murray, she failed to enter the latter stages of the tournament.

via Reuters
Tennis – Wimbledon – All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London, Britain – July 1, 2022 Britain’s Jamie Murray and Venus Williams of the U.S. during their first round mixed doubles match against Australia’s Michael Venus and Poland’s Alicja Rosolska REUTERS/Matthew Childs
Thereafter, she centered her focus on her singles comeback at the Citi Open and the two WTA 1000 events at Montreal and Cincinnati that would eventually lead her to the American Grand Slam. Though like Wimbledon, she failed to leave an impact on all the warm up tournaments in the American Swing.
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Watch this story: Will Smith Shows How King Richard Cast Trained Like Serena and Venus Williams
Now the two-time US Open champion will eye the US Open title to end the season on a fruitful note. She will meet Belgian professional Alison Van Uytvanck in the opening round of the last Grand Slam event of the season.
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