Serena Williams Orders Espresso Shot, Comes Back to Win Tennis Match
All Serena Williams needed to beat Italy's Flavia Pennetta was a strong shot of espresso.
After dropping the first set 0-6 in just 19 minutes during her match on Monday morning at the Hopman Cup, the world number one asked for an espresso shot. After getting a much needed caffeine kick, the 33-year-old came back and defeated Pennetta 6-3 in the second set and 6-0 in the last set.
"I'm so jet lagged and Flavia played really, really well and yeah, everyone needs coffee every now and then. I needed coffee to get my feet moving," Williams said in an on court interview. "I wanted coffee with my bagel and whatever coffee it was, it was really good."
She added, "I am a coffee drinker. I didn't have mine this morning and I was just feeling it, so I just had to get some coffee into me. I just asked them to get me a shot of espresso. I asked them if it was legal, because I've never done it before."
In the video clip, both players were light-hearted and laughed when Williams asked for an espresso. She can be heard saying, "I mean, I don't know if it's allowed. Is it allowed?" before declaring "I'm tired."
In the opening day of the tournament, Team USA sweep Italy in Group A. The USA went 3-0 with the help of Williams, seed 18 John Isner, who beat Fabio Fognini 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (7-4) and the mixed doubles team made up of Williams and Isner that prevailed 6-2, 2-6, 11-9 in a tiebreak.
During Monday's matches, the roof was closed due to extremely high temperatures that topped 111 degrees Fahrenheit. It was the city's hottest day since 1991.
The Hopman Cup, which takes place in Perth, Australia from Jan. 4-10, is a team-style tournament. The eight teams that are competing this year include Canada, Czech Republic, Italy, and the U.S. in Group A, and Australia, France, Great Britain and Poland in Group B.
