Serena Williams expresses her desire to possess Jannik Sinner’s forehand during their encounter at the Miami Open.

Serena Williams, who has experienced victory at the Miami Open herself, wonders if her presence at the tournament this week might bring luck to Jannik Sinner, the former world No. 1. After attending to watch her sister Venus Williams play earlier in the week, the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion returned to witness the men’s semifinals on Friday.

She was impressed by the Australian Open champion’s performance, as he swiftly defeated Daniil Medvedev 6-1, 6-2 in a rematch of their intense five-set final earlier in the year. Williams expressed her admiration to Sinner, praising his forehand technique, racquet speed, and power. She commended him on his remarkable performance and congratulated him on his success in Australia.

With her own dominant history at the Miami Open, where she secured a record eight titles in 18 appearances at the tournament’s former location in Key Biscayne, Williams’ endorsement may carry significant weight. As Sinner aims for victory in Miami, his third appearance in the championship match, he hopes that this time fortune will be on his side after finishing as runner-up in both 2021 and 2023.

But the Italian isn’t the only participant in Sunday’s men’s singles final who’ll be hoping a brush with greatness brings him a little extra luck. His opponent, Grigor Dimitrov, also got to reconnect with Williams during her visit, as the pair were captured by cameras sharing a chat, smiles and a big hug behind the scenes in Hard Rock Stadium. The two are longtime friends, and the Bulgarian dubbed Williams “amazing” in his post-match press conference after beating Alexander Zverev in the semifinals.

“We stay in touch. We nearly speak on a daily basis. She said, I’m gonna come watch,'” Dimitrov said. “It’s always very humbling to have such a supporter in your corner, and I think just before the match she came, we had a little chat.

“Actually, I remember she was even here when I had my first Top 10 win. It was a very nice moment. I think we both remember that.

“It’s friendship, man. I think this is the best part. Tennis is tennis, but, you know, we are all living our dream right now. I think the real life begins after, and I think we have managed to be such good and close friends after so many years.

“And again, to be able to lean on, to share thoughts, ideas, and sometimes to even vent, someone that actually played tennis, right? It helps a lot.”