Serena and Venus Williams avoid fine after breaking major US Open rule
Serena and Venus Williams narrowly escaped a hefty US Open fine after their latest appearance at the tournament ended in dramatic fashion.
The tennis legends were reunited on the biggest stage in New York on Friday night (4 Sept), with fans packing into the city's Arthur Ashe Stadium to watch the Williams sisters make their long-awaited return to doubles.
And, as expected, all eyes were firmly on them.
As a reminder, Serena and Venus have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together and are two of the biggest names tennis has ever produced.
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Despite this, the pair had not played together at a Grand Slam since the 2022 US Open.
Naturally, therefore, this weekend's appearance was about much more than simply winning another match, but marking another chapter in one of the sporting world's most iconic sibling partnerships.
Their first-round doubles match against Maya Joint and Chan Hao-Ching turned into a three-set thriller, seeing Serena and Venus fighting back after losing the initial set, eventually taking the second in a tie-break.
Sadly, however, in the deciding set - despite the Williamses finding themselves 5-0 ahead in the final-set match tie-break and looking to be heading towards an extraordinary comeback victory - Joint and Hao-Ching clawed their way back.
The Australian-Taiwanese pairing eventually prevailed, sending Serena and Venus crashing out after a marathon contest.
Then came a monumental rule break. Rather than heading to the media room after their defeat, Serena and Venus did not attend their scheduled post-match press conference.
For reference, Grand Slam rules require players to participate in post-match media duties when requested, meaning the sisters had technically broken one of the tournament's rules.
The decision was first reported by journalist Ben Rothenberg before being confirmed to Front Office Sports by the USTA.
Rothenberg reported that Serena waved to the crowd following her loss, before getting into a car and leaving the tournament grounds.
Venus, meanwhile, is said to have gone to the locker room but was not asked to face reporters alone after the pair had been requested together.
The USTA informed credentialed media shortly after the match: "Serena and Venus Williams will not be available for press tonight."
Usually, skipping a mandatory media appearance can result in a fine of up to $50,000 USD, but this isn't the first time the Williams sisters have faced questions over their media commitments.
Venus was previously fined $5,000 after failing to attend a press conference following her first-round defeat at the 2016 Australian Open.
This year, however, the USTA has decided to let the sisters off, the governing body confirming that neither Serena nor Venus will be forced to cough up any cash following their doubles defeat.
Joint, who did speak to the press following her win, said of the sisters: "I'm lost for words to think that that happened. She's an idol of mine - both of them are. I looked up to them growing up.
"I mean, I grew up in Michigan, so I always looked up to them, so just to be able to play them twice is amazing. Awesome."
Rhianna Benson