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Novak & Serena Test Coaching Skills With Their Kids
Spoiler:
Watch the legends give their kids a lesson
Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams are two of the greatest players in tennis history. Could their kids be next in line?
Djokovic and his son, Stefan, had a quick hit on Thursday at the Mallorca Championships, where Stefan showed a Rafael Nadal-like follow-through on his forehand.
The World No. 1 is set to compete in doubles this week at the grass-court ATP 250.
Williams posted a series of videos on Instagram in which she gave her daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian, Jr., a lesson. One of her tips focused on the keys to a good forehand.
Are Stefan and Olympia taking after their parents? Keep your eyes out in the future!
Serena: Wimbledon feels different but still very special
Spoiler:
The No. 6 seed and seven-time champion predicts a tough battle as she targets Grand Slam No.24 READ MORE
BY KATE BATTERSBY
SOCIAL
Something and nothing, maybe, but Serena Williams appeared a touch subdued as she chewed over her prospects for her 20th career appearance at The All England Club.
“It’s a little different walking the Grounds now,” she said. “Wimbledon in general feels a lot different, but it still has a very special feeling.”
Only the coming days will tell how The Championships unfold for her as she targets an eighth title, but on one professional matter at least she has absolute certainty. The four-time gold medallist will not play at the Tokyo Olympics next month.
“I’m actually not on the Olympic list, not that I’m aware of,” she said. “If so [if she is on the list], then I shouldn’t be on it. There’s a lot of reasons that I made my Olympic decision. I don’t feel like going into them today. Maybe another day. Sorry. In the past the Olympics have been a wonderful place for me. I really haven’t thought about what it will be like not to be there. I’m going to keep not thinking about it.”
WARMING UP
So… to more immediate matters. Williams, seeded No.6 in the absence of Naomi Osaka and defending champion Simona Halep, has not played since losing to Elena Rybakina in the last 16 at Roland-Garros.
Three months shy of her 40th birthday, she is of course still seeking to equal Margaret Court’s long-standing record of 24 Grand Slams. She notched up number 23 at the 2017 Australian Open when she was in the early stages of pregnancy, but has drawn a blank since Roland-Garros 2018 which marked her return after her daughter’s birth. Four times she has reached Slam finals in that period, including the most recent two at Wimbledon, without reward.
Time catches up with us all in the end, but the women’s contest is seen as wide open, the more so with uncertainty around the full fitness of world No.1 Ashleigh Barty, in whose half Serena has been drawn.
Meanwhile Williams’ quarter of the draw includes Angelique Kerber (who defeated her in the 2018 final), Elina Svitolina, Australian Open semi-finalist Karolina Muchova, Roland-Garros runner-up Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Belinda Bencic, and the charismatic youngster Coco Gauff – although Williams of course cannot face them all. Meanwhile, her first hurdle comes in the form of Aliaksandra Sasnovich, who defeated two-time champion Petra Kvitova on her way to the fourth round in 2018.
I’VE HAD A BIG X ON MY BACK SINCE I WON THE US OPEN IN 1999. THAT'S WHY I’M SERENA
“The women’s draw is so deep, regardless of who you play,” said Williams. “You really have to show up. There are no matches that are going to be a sure walk-through. Everyone worked really hard to be here. You just have to really have your game on.”
Chris Evert, three-time Wimbledon champion and winner of 18 Grand Slams, has discussed the effect of time’s passing on how Serena’s opponents now see her.
"As with Roger Federer I would give Serena a better chance at Wimbledon because the grass is perfect for her game," said Evert. "On the grass, if Serena is fit and that serve is working then that's half of the match right there. She has that experience and flexibility. But the [other] players are better now than they were two years ago and they are not intimidated. They all feel they have a chance against Serena."
Williams herself doesn’t see it as all that different. She is accustomed to players raising their game against her, because they’ve had nothing to lose.
“It’s definitely made me better,” she said. “I’ve had a big X on my back since I won the US Open in 1999. When players play me that hard in every single tournament, every single match, every single Grand Slam, you just get better. It’s been difficult mentally when someone might beat you, and they lose directly in the next round almost every time. At the end of the day that’s why I’m Serena. So thanks.”
