{
  "id": 6055133,
  "title": "Venus and Serena Williams Won’t Be Fined for Skipping Press Conference After US Open Loss",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/06/venus-and-serena-williams-wont-be-fined-for-skipping-press-conference",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-06T22:28:09.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Front Office Sports",
    "slug": "front-office-sports",
    "url": "https://frontofficesports.com/article/venus-serena-williams-wont-be-fined-skipping-press-conference-us-open-loss/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) has decided not to penalize Venus and Serena Williams for their absence from a post-match press conference following their first-round doubles loss at the US Open on Friday. This decision was confirmed to Front Office Sports by tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg on Sunday. Media members had requested press conferences with both Williams sisters, but the USTA informed them that the duo would not be available. The Williams sisters have a history of opting out of press conferences, with over a dozen such instances at major tournaments. However, they have occasionally faced fines for this behavior. Venus was fined $5,000 after skipping press following a first-round loss at the 2016 Australian Open. Serena left the tournament grounds in a car immediately after their Friday night match against Maya Joint and Hao-Ching Chan. The USTA's decision to not impose a fine is discretionary and may be influenced by the players' significant status in the sport. The 2026 US Open has also faced media-related challenges, such as poor courtside etiquette from some social media influencers and increased flash photography during matches.",
  "summary": "The duo has skipped press obligations before.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}