‘They Would Fall Asleep on My Shoulders’- Venus and Serena Williams’ Hitting Partner Once Revealed How He Became More of Family to the Sister Duo

Legendary American tennis player Serena Williams has hung her racket. The 40-year-old revealed earlier this year that she is going to retire after the American hard court swing. After a disappointing drubbing from the US Open defending champion Emma Raducanu, Serena entered the US Open 2022.

She did put up an amazing display in the first two matches that she played. However, she faced defeat against Ajla Tomljanovic after a spirited display in the third match. Unfortunately, this also turned out to be the last match of her career.

Serena Williams is a personality that touched many lives with her absolute humility and grace. One such person she was close to was her hitting partner from early days, Brad Thyroff. Thyroff once revealed his journey with two of the greatest tennis players of all time.

Brad Thyroff on his relationship with the Williams sisters

Venus and Serena Williams’ father Richard Williams hired Brad Thyroff as a hitting partner for his teenage daughters. Back then, he didn’t know he was working with the two future greats.

Speaking about his relationship with the Williams sisters, Thyroff said, “There were nights when we would be riding back to the hotel after a late match and they would fall asleep on my shoulders. I was happy that I was more than just an employee to them.”

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Over the years, both Serena and Venus turned out to be tennis greats. While Venus has seven Grand Slam titles to her name, Serena ended up with 23 Grand Slam titles.

Serena Williams in her last match

Playing in her last Grand Slam tournament, Serena won her first match in straight sets. Further, the 40-year-old was up against the challenge of second seed Estonian Anett Kontaveit. The former world number one showed a great fight and took the match in three sets.

Later, Serena faced the challenge from world number 46, Australian Ajla Tomljanović. Serena gave a tough fight from the first set itself but went down 6-7 to the Aussie. However, she came back and claimed the second set. The match then went into the decider set.

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Serena lost the grip and was on the verge of loss trailing 5-1. However, the Aussie didn’t get her last point easily. The former world number 1 gave it her all to the last point. She saved five match points before hitting one on the net. The way Serena fought until the last point of her career shows the grit and determination she had throughout her career.