Serena Williams laughs over bathroom break remark after US Open comeback against Anett Kontaveit

Serena Williams’ prolific night on the court Wednesday at the 2022 U.S. Open may have included a momentum-changing bathroom break.

When speaking to the press after her second-round victory against Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit, a reporter asked the 23-time Grand Slam champion if she did something in particular between sets, referencing how Novak Djokovic pumps himself up by splashing himself with water during breaks.

Williams’ response of, “I just got lighter… use your imagination,” elicited laughter from the room, and she even got a chuckle herself over follow-up remarks.

“But it wasn’t No. 2, so,” she continued with a smile.

Williams topped Kontaveit, 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, 6-2, in front of a star-studded crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium, where she also punched her ticket to a third-round match Friday against Australia’s Ajla Tomljanović.

“The experience was really good. You can only have this experience once in a lifetime, for sure,” said Williams. “I’ve been practicing really well, but it hasn’t been coming together in matches. But now it’s kind of coming together, I guess. I mean, I had to bring it together [Wednesday]. It worked out.”

This year’s U.S. Open is expected to be Williams’ last. The 40-year-old athlete her first-round win Monday against Danka Kovinic, Williams likened her future to an “evolution.”

“I called it an evolution,” she said. “I have my VC company, Serena Ventures, we invest in a lot of people. I really want to spend more time at home and work on my spiritual life. It’s like Serena 2.0. It’s still gonna be crazy and intense.”

Williams has been married to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian since 2017. They share a 5-year-old daughter, Alexis Olympia.