Serena Williams’ Team Is Reportedly Worried That Meghan Markle’s Presence At U.S. Open Could Be A Jinx

Serena Williams’ team could be worried about pal Meghan Markle rooting her on at the U.S. Open on Saturday.

The Duchess of Sussex has jetted from England to New York to watch Williams compete in the final, but a report from Page Six noted that her appearance is causing some consternation among Williams’ team. The report cited a source that said Serena brought up Meghan’s planned appearance to her coach, leading to some worry that Meghan could be a jinx.

“Serena asked her coach about Meghan coming when she won last night and everyone is worried, as tennis players are very superstitious, and Serena lost when Meghan came to watch her at Wimbledon,” the source told the celebrity gossip outlet. “[Williams’ coach] Patrick keeps telling her, ‘Focus focus focus.’ The aim is getting her to win her 24th Grand Slam.”

Serena will be facing off against Canadian Bianca Andreescu in Saturday’s final. Friend Meghan Markle is one of Serena’s biggest supporters, garnering media spotlight when she makes appearances at Serena’s matches. The cameras will likely be trained on Meghan again on Saturday, especially as it is one of her first public appearances — and the first for her in the United States — since giving birth to her son.

Coach Patrick Mouratoglou said publicly that he isn’t concerned about Meghan Markle being at the match on Saturday, noting that there will be 23,000 other people in attendance at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing, Queens.

Meghan Markle’s visit is already making plenty of headlines. People magazine reported on the overseas visit, noting that Meghan took a commercial flight from London on Friday morning. This is the first time that Meghan has been to New York sine February, when she attended a baby shower that Williams hosted for her.

This time, Meghan decided to take the opportunity to support her friend as she goes for the title.

“It is a last-minute trip,” a source told The Times. “Excited to support her friend, and then come back.”

Meghan’s manner of transport also drew some headlines. She and Prince Harry were criticized back in August after taking a private jet to France and Ibiza with their baby son, Archie. This time around, Meghan opted to hop on a commercial flight, and CNN reported that she and Harry are also planning to fly commercial when they go to South Africa. The trip will be the first time that all three have traveled overseas as a family.