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Louise Thomas
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Serena Williams has made her return to this year’s US Open, only this time she’s enjoying the tournament from the stands.
On September 1, the six-time US Open champion attended day seven of the tournament, where she was pictured at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, Queens. In between cheering on fellow tennis stars Coco Gauff and Grigor Dimitrov, Williams made sure to try out the US Open’s signature cocktail, the Honey Deuce.
“Okay, so I’m at the US Open and I’m having the famous drink,” the 23-time Grand Slam title holder began her TikTok video on Sunday. “Everyone’s like, ‘Have you ever had one?’ And I’m like, ‘No,’ because I’ve always been playing.”
The Honey Deuce, a rose-colored drink topped with three pieces of honeydew to resemble tennis balls, is crafted from a mix of vodka, lemonade, and a raspberry liqueur. The drink has exploded in popularity in the years since Grey Goose became an official sponsor of the US Open nearly 20 years ago.
Williams explained in the TikTok, which has been viewed more than 330,000 times, that she prefers to drink her Honey Deuce with Cincoro Tequila rather than Grey Goose vodka. The mother of two then filmed herself drinking the official US Open cocktail, as her eyes widened after she took her first sip.
“Honey, that’s not deuce,” she said, sharing her initial reaction to the drink. “That’s called Honey Ad-In or Honey Ace. Let’s rename it, ‘cause it’s good.”
Fans were ecstatic that Williams had finally weighed in on the signature US Open drink, although many pointed out how iconic it was that she was too busy playing in the tournament to try the Honey Deuce for herself.
“Just a subtle flex,” one person said, while another TikToker commented: “Because I’ve always been playing, yes QUEEN.”
Others noted that the names of past US Open winners are displayed on the Honey Deuce’s commemorative cup, including Williams.
“Look how many times you see your name on the cup!” one fan suggested.
“You drinking out of the cup with your name on it multiple times,” someone else said. “Iconic.”
Since the 2024 US Open kicked off in New York City on August 25, the Honey Deuce is expected to surpass $10m in sales before the tennis event ends on September 8. Despite its popularity, the Honey Deuce is also known for being quite expensive. The cocktail costs a whopping $23, along with the souvenir cup it’s served in. In fact, the price of the Honey Deuce has increased four times in the past five years.
The drink debuted at the US Open in 2007, one year after Grey Goose began its official vodka sponsorship with the tournament. The liquor company extended its deal with the US Open in 2023 for another five years. According to CNN, the Honey Deuce was invented by former Grey Goose ambassador and restaurateur Nick Mautone.
Williams announced her retirement in 2022, marking an end to her illustrious career in professional tennis. In an interview with Vogue, she revealed that the US Open in August 2022 would mark her final tournament. “I have never liked the word retirement. It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me. Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution. I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me,” she said.
Her legendary career came to an end during the third round of the 2022 US Open, where she was defeated by Australia’s Ajla Tomljanović at the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Since her retirement, Williams has gone on to give birth to her second child with husband Alexis Ohanian. The couple, who were married in 2017, welcomed their daughter Adira Rivera Ohanian in August 2023. Williams and Ohanian are also parents to seven-year-old daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian.
