Sometimes, people who play sports just for fun can’t help but wonder about trying to match their skills against the pros of the game. Usually, a chance to approach a top sportsman for a friendly match can come rarer than a blue moon, but Serena Williams, lately triumphant in the 2017 Australian Open, came off as a golden opportunity to a couple of recreational tennis players in San Francisco this week when she came to them instead.
On a whim
It all started Monday, February 27, when Williams, now 23-time grand slam titleholder, was out for a walk on a nice San Francisco evening.
Happening upon a city tennis court with two recreational players at a game, she decided to record the proceedings on her Snapchat, with her narrating thus: "Just having a stroll at night and I'm thinking about asking these guys if I can hit with them just to see their reaction." Just so you’re wondering: her phone was operated for this footage by her companion, fiancé and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.
She certainly didn’t waste time heading towards the enclosed court, although Serena briefly wondered if they’d recognize her out of tennis gear and humor her request then. As it turns out there wouldn’t be any problems, however; the two guys recognized the 2017 Australian Open women’s singles champ off the bat, with one of them exclaiming an audible "Holy crap!" heard on the ongoing Snapchat feed.
.@SerenaWilliams surprised two random fans by playing them in tennis and put it on Snapchat! pic.twitter.com/Jo9i83icqR
— SB Nation (@SBNation) February 27, 2017
Playing with handicap
The players were quick to grant Williams’ request to share the court with them for a few games, despite the fact that as she was just on a stroll, she wasn’t exactly dressed for play.
In lieu of her tennis shoes, Serena opted to take on the men with her heeled boots, and a fun time was had by all, captured on Snapchat. At one point one of her opponents gets a forehand drive right into the net instead of over, and the tennis legend lets off some good-natured ribbing. One they were done, Williams posed for a pic with her new tennis buddies flanking on both sides, with her warning other recreational players: "The moral of this story is: You never know when I could be coming to a tennis court near you!"
As of current, Serena remains world number 1 in the WTA, despite concerns that Angelique Kerber may steal the top spot from her at the 2017 Dubai Tennis Championships (since Williams was sitting it out). The German, however, bowed out at the second set, with injuries to boot.
