Throwback to when Serena Williams gatecrashed 2 amateur players' practice session while walking her dog
An Instagram page called Tennis Court TV served up some rich content for tennis fans on Friday, when they posted a throwback video of Serena Williams surprising two amateur players by offering to practice with them at a local court.
The video dates back to early 2017, when the 23-time Major winner was enjoying her downtime from tennis after winning a record-breaking seventh Australian Open title. In the video, she can be seen walking her dog with her husband Alexis Ohanian near her residence in Florida.
The 40-year-old stumbled across a tennis court during her night stroll, where she saw two amateur tennis players trading hits.
"So I think they are in the middle of playing out points. I'm going to ask them if I can play with 'em," she said.
Serena Williams then observed from the fence outside the court for a short while before one of the two players happened to glance in her direction. After greeting the two, the American offered to play a few points with them for fun. Here is an excerpt from their brief conversation:
Serena Williams: "[...] I heard him say my name already!"
Player 1: "Oh my goodness, is this for real?"
Player 2: "Holy crap. Wow, oh my god!"
Alexis Ohanian: "She's serious."
Player 1: "Yes please!"
The 40-year-old could even be heard saying she was going to play in boots as she did not have her tennis shoes with her.
Serena Williams: "I don't have my Nikes but.."
Alexis Ohanian: "This is not official, bud!"
Serena Williams: "Don't do this at home."
Towards the end of the video, Ohanian remarked that he was amused by the events that unfolded as the couple had initially set out for a brief walk.
Alexis Ohanian: "It's funny, 'cause you just wanted to go out for a walk and instead you're playing tennis."
Serena Williams: "So moral of the story is, you never know when I'm going to come to a tennis court near you!"
Serena Williams has still not set a date for her comeback
The 23-time Major winner has been out of commission for seven months now, having suffered a hamstring injury during her first-round match at Wimbledon last year.
The 40-year-old dropped out of the top 200 for the first time since 1998 following her absence at this year's Australian Open.
Williams has not yet set a timeline for her return, although she is expected to come back sometime this year.