Serena and Venus Williams swerved fines totalling $100,000 (£82,925) after skipping media duties in the wake of their first-round doubles defeat at this year’s US Open.
The superstar siblings were obligated to speak to the press after their three-hour battle against Maya Joint and Chan Hao-ching and might have each incurred a fine of up to $50,000, as per Grand Slam rules, unless deemed unable to appear on ‘reasonable grounds’ such as illness or injury.
The US Open confirmed however that neither player will receive a fine.
In the aftermath of their defeat, on Saturday, Serena simply posted pictures of herself walking onto court with her sister, captioning the post with the symbol for infinity to represent their strong bond.
Serena appeared to have snubbed the pressroom at Wimbledon in July after defeat to Joint in the singles as a wildcard but later shared that she had ‘tweaked’ her knee – an issue which forced her out of a second doubles debut with Venus in SW19.
Then, Williams shared that she had been doing ‘everything’ to ensure she could return to court, posting a statement on social media before she was forced to withdraw.
Venus and Serena Williams have avoided receiving fines of $50,000 apiece after they snubbed the press room after their US Open doubles match
The sisters were dumped out of the US Open women’s doubles in round one on Friday
‘It felt so good to be back on the grass at Wimbledon,’ Williams wrote on Instagram. ‘I’m incredibly thankful for the wild card – and even more grateful my daughters got to see that it’s never too late to chase something you love.
‘I tweaked my knee late in the first set, but I’ll be doing everything I can to be ready for doubles with Venus. Congratulations to Maya Joint on a great match, and thank you to everyone who showed up and showed me so much love. That feeling will never get old.’
Some tennis fans took offense with the sisters’ media snub, suggesting it was unprofessional behavior from the legends.
‘So rude of them. US Open puts them on Ashe primetime, gives Venus a wildcard to play singles and this is how they act. #noclass,’ one social media user wrote.
‘Both of them should show some class…..they are looked up to as role models (for some reason)….these are poor examples to set for younger people,’ said another.
‘So disrespectful. 0 class. And not the first time. Stop giving them wild cards,’ posted one fan.
ESPN broadcaster and former tennis star Patrick McEnroe wrote: ‘Incredible vibe last match @usopen calling the Williams sisters doubles match.
‘ONLY THEY COULD fill the stadium for a doubles match. SHOW UP FOR THE POST MATCH PRESS CONFERENCE.’
Serena and her sister were partnering at the US Open for the first time in four years on Friday
But they could not get the better of Australia’s Maya Joint (left) and Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching
However, other sympathetic fans defended the Williams sisters with one posting: ‘These women don’t owe anyone anything, especially at this stage in their careers…to all the disgusting so called tennis fans in these comments.’
‘Please take several seats. It’s always going to be something you don’t like about them. They are legends and can do as they please,’ added another.
‘There’s nothing you could possibly ask that we need to know. They all should start skipping. Get rid of on court interviews too. Dumb a** questions about nothing,’ a third echoed.
‘The thing is you’re kind of hyenas, I can’t blame them,’ said a fourth.
Earlier this week, Venus spoke to the press after her first-round singles exit to Sofia Kenin.
The living legends were handed their third doubles wildcard of the summer in Flushing Meadows, with 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena also featuring in the mixed event alongside Carlos Alcaraz, losing in the quarter-finals to finalists Flavio Cobolli and Belinda Bencic.
Between them, Serena and Venus have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles and three Olympic gold medals, but were unable to see victory across the line after pushing Chan and Joint to three tough sets spanning over three hours.
The younger pair had envisaged getting over the line in straight sets before the experienced sibling duo forced a tiebreak and raised their level when it counted.
Despite doing the same in the third set, and building a 5-0 lead however, errors which had been creeping into their game in the opening set saw them falter at the last minute, with Chan and Joint carrying off the win 6-3, 6-7(6), 7-6(7).
