Venus Williams is going strong in the US Open women’s doubles. Having beaten Ekaterina Alexandrova and Zhang Shuai, alongside her partner, Leylah Fernandez, Williams has 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. 

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.” But while Serena hasn’t made an in-person appearance to support her elder sister yet, it’s not like Venus hasn’t felt the support of her and her family.

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] 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.” 

Well, that would certainly be a more than useful exercise. If not anything else, Fernandez would certainly benefit from it, considering how Venus thinks that she is as “focused and dialled-in” as the 23x Grand Slam champion. Serena herself will have a great time.

Serena Williams has drowned out the noise, but to what extent?

During a conversation on The Today Show, Serena Williams weighed in on the world batting for 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!