While Serena Williams fought to stay in her match, her mom seemingly fought to stay awake.
During the second-set tiebreak of Williams’ third-round U.S. Open loss to Ajla Tomljanović, Williams’ mother, Oracene Price, appeared to nod off.
Williams, down a set to none and having just seen her second set lead collapse, was in the midst of an exhilarating back-and-forth tiebreak to stay alive in the match. Cameras panned to Price, however, resting her head on her hand with her eyes closed, not tuned into the action. By the end of the her on-screen appearance, she finally opened her eyes.
After winning the tiebreak, Williams dropped the third set to lose the match.
Price appeared to do the same during Williams’ second-round win over Anett Kontaveit.
After announcing she’d be “evolving away” from tennis following the tournament, these were the last moments price had to soak in her daughter’s play.