Serena Williams talked about her lasting friendship with Meghan Markle. (Getty Images)
Serena Williams opened up Sunday about her longtime friend Meghan Markle.
In an interview with Australia’s “The Project,” the tennis star said she and the Duchess of Sussex “are relying on each other a lot” when it comes to dealing with the daily media scrutiny.
“We were actually just texting each other this morning,” Williams said during the interview that was conducted three days after her controversial loss during the U.S. Open final.
“We have known each other for a long time, but we really are relying on each other a lot recently,” she added.
Serena Williams and husband Alexis Ohanian attend the royal wedding in May. (AP)
Williams, 36, and Markle, 37, have previously spoken about their friendship. The former actress and the superstar athlete first met during the 2010 Super Bowl and have been friends ever since, with Williams attending the royal wedding in May with her husband Alexis Ohanian.
“I felt like we were literally watching history,” Williams said about Markle and Prince Harry’s nuptials. “I feel like in a few years, when I look back at that moment, it’s just going to be so historic. It’s going to be something people never forget.
“The whole service was really wonderful and most of all, I just wanted to see my friend be happy and I think that’s what happened,” Williams recalled.
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Markle was spotted in July attending the Wimbledon singles final match between Williams and Germany's Angelique Kerber.
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Williams also talked to "The Project" about the three violations she received that contributed to her loss to Japan’s Naomi Osaka. The tennis player said she “didn’t see the motion” her coach Patrick Mouratoglou made that chair umpire Carlos Ramos called illegal coaching.
She added that Mouratoglou’s interview after the match admitting to the coaching created further confusion.
“I just don’t understand what he was talking about,” Williams said. “[Mouratoglou] said he made a motion, so I was like, ‘OK, you made a motion, now you told people you were coaching me? That doesn’t make sense, why would you say that?’
Serena Williams received three violations during the U.S. Open final. (AP)
“I was on the other side, I didn’t see the motion, so it was just a really confusing moment,” she said.
Williams received praise and criticism from fans and other players for her actions on the court. Williams said she is focused on moving past the match.
“I’m just trying most of all to recover from that and just move on,” the tennis star said.
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