One of the most delightful surprises of last year’s US Open was the unexpected doubles pairing of Leylah Fernandez and Venus Williams. Fans loved the duo, but now with the tennis world constantly buzzing about Serena Williams, a hypothetical scenario has emerged.
During a recent appearance on the “Served with Andy Roddick” podcast, the former World No.1 presented Fernandez with a fun but tricky situation regarding her future doubles partnerships.
Leylah Fernandez Faces the Ultimate US Open Dilemma: Venus or Serena Williams as Her Doubles Partner?
When Roddick bluntly asked Fernandez if she was prepared to get “dumped” by Venus for Serena, the Canadian responded with good-natured grace. Stepping aside for the most iconic sister duo in tennis history is a no-brainer.
“If I do, I wouldn’t mind at all. I would expect it 100%,” Fernandez laughed. “A lot of people are asking me, ‘So, are you playing with Venus again this year?’ I’m like, ‘I don’t know.’ But Serena’s back. She might want to play with Serena, and I wouldn’t mind that at all.”
Fernandez added that it’s great to see the sisters back on tour and that they can hopefully make a run. Roddick, however, wasn’t going to let the topic off the hook. He threw a follow-up question: “You know what would be super messed up? What if Serena asked you to play?”
But as a sister herself, given that her younger sister, Bianca, also plays pro tennis, Fernandez said, “Oh my… I don’t know what I would do. I’d feel like I’m cheating on one sister.”
Putting herself in Venus’s shoes, she explained why accepting the offer would feel like an infidelity.
“I’m trying to think like, with my sister, and Bianca, she plays tennis too, and what would happen if I asked one of Bianca’s favorite players to play doubles with me?” Fernandez said. “Like, would she be upset? Would I be betraying her? I don’t know. It’s a rough one.”
On Wednesday, Fernandez, the defending champion, lost 6-2, 7-6 (1) to Alexandra Eala at the Mubadala DC Open’s second round.
Meanwhile, Venus is also playing at the DC Open this week in Washington, where she is partnering Diana Shnaider in doubles. Ahead of the event, she was asked if the sisters could partner up again at Flushing Meadows.
“We would love to [play the US Open together], so we’ll see what happens,” the 46-year-old said.
Serena, who made a comeback to the court this year, was set to face Camila Osorio and Solana Sierra in the first round of the Wimbledon doubles alongside Venus. However, on the day of the match, the 23-time Grand Slam winner announced that she had to withdraw because her knee wasn’t ready to compete.
Serena hasn’t officially announced any next tournaments, but Venus’s answer makes the tennis world hopeful that the two-time US Open doubles champions could be back in New York.
