Serena tersely takes on U.S. Open reporter

In the event that you missed it featured here at the Spin this past week, Venus Williams and kid sister Serena Williams landed on the cover of The New York Times magazine. The **story on them** harbors some intriguing morsels, whether long known or assumed or unrealized. Among them: Richard Williams, unlike the women in the family, is not and never was a Jehovah's Witness; sister Isha might have been "the third Williams sister" if not for back injuries; and Venus and Serena don't really consider much of their father's advice anymore, even deleting his lengthy emails.

Serena, ever the lover of self-fulfilling prophecies, tells the <em>Times</em> scribe that she fully expects something dramatic and unrelated to actual tennis points to happen to her at this year's U.S. Open. The groundwork is already being laid, as you'll see after the 4:25 mark in this clip:

That's one reporter taking it further than another who asked the opening question of Serena in the press room, amounting to more queries about her dance after clinching the Olympic gold medal in singles play. And the No. 4 seeded player, the most decorated Grand Slam champion in this 2012 field in New York City, does not reply with amusement. Stay tuned as to what comes Serena's way over these two weeks—and do expect to see her still standing in Week 2 at the Open.

AD-IN: Do you think the questioning goes too far? Despite the fact that Serena seems to know the origin of her celebratory dance at the Olympics (she said its name was "inappropriate" then), it must be reiterated, apparently, that she would never glorify the L.A.-based gang whose members shot and killed her sister Yetunde Price. At some point, any pop-culture novelty, no matter how garish in its originality, loses its sting.

—Jonathan Scott (**@jonscott9**)