Williams played only in the last day of the Manila leg and was given the rock star treatment by Filipino fans, who cheered loudest when she made her entrance and watched her every move even when simply warming up.
"The reception was amazing," Williams said after the match. "It's been amazing. Everyone was so nice. I mean, just walking out here, just warming up and hearing the crowd was really spectacular and unexpected."
"I feel honored to feel that," said the world number one.
Asked why she didn't expect to get such a warm welcome, Williams explained: "Well, I've never played here (before)."
"It's so good to come to countries like this because then you realize that we have fans everywhere," she added.
The Filipinos' love for Williams extended well outside the tennis court, as chants of "Se-re-na, Se-re-na," inundated the superstar as she exited the MOA Arena.
Williams unfortunately lost her debut, as she and Lleyton Hewitt bowed to Andy Murray and Kirsten Flipkens in the mixed doubles set. Williams was subpar in the mixed doubles, with her returns going long. She also seemed surprised when her team called for a "Happiness Power Point," one of the new innovations of the league.
She performed much better in the women's singles, beating Flipkens 6-3 and drawing oohs and ahhs from the fans with her shot-making.
"It wasn't easy, but I had a lot of fun," Williams said after her set.
Later, she said that Flipkens "played really well" and "made (the set) really entertaining for the crowd."
"I was happy to be out there. I was pumped, the crowd was pumped. We all think it was a really good match," she said.
Williams is set to join her team in Singapore, where the Slammers will try to win their first match after having lost all three matches in Manila.
"We don't really have a sense of urgency, but we just know that we want to do well in Singapore," she said.
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
