Serena Williams clutches her hands to her face in hysterics as Jim Courier lets a packed Rod Laver Arena in on a little of the American great’s life behind the scenes.
Footage of the 23-time Grand Slam champion and 15-year-old sensation Coco Gauff nailing a dance routine is beamed onto the big screens as Serena gives the go-ahead to show the clip in its entirety.
It is a lighter post-match moment following the No.8 seed’s routine victory over unheralded Slovenian Tamara Zidansek on Wednesday night.
And it gives a telling insight into the changing of the guard – a relaxed Serena giving the next great American teenage hope an accessible mentor during a training camp the pair shared at Boca Raton in the off-season.
Only six years ago, scribes were eulogising the slow death of American tennis, with grave concerns there were no successors to eventually replace the Williams sisters.
Six years ago, those same scribes were not alone in thinking the Williams sisters would likely have retired by 2020. And while Serena – at world No.9 – remains the highest-ranked American woman, there is a precocious crop of players under 25 making inroads, with five still alive in the women’s draw as of Wednesday.
Arguably the name grabbing the headlines most of this group is the teenage Gauff. For the second time in three majors she took down Venus Williams in the first round before surging back from a break down to deny Sorana Cirstea to reach the third round in her first three majors.
“I think in general my mindset has always been nothing to lose really,” Gauff said.
“Even when in juniors, even though I was ranked pretty high in juniors, I was technically supposed to win. Then I still felt like I had nothing to lose.
“I still feel that now. I think my mindset just is I'm going to fight. If I lose, the world is not going to end … I feel like for me, I'm not trying to win so much but trying to play my best tennis on the court. Winning comes with that if I play good.”
Serena was not surprised at Gauff’s rise and deemed the player 23 years her junior as better than she was at the same age.
“She's just impressive all around, from her personality to the way she plays,” Serena said.
“I think it's just all super impressive.
“I was nowhere near her level at 15 either on the court or off the court, not even close.
“I know kids are growing up different nowadays, so I'm not sure. But I was nowhere near as, like, smart and eloquent as she is. It's nice to see.”
One player with her sights set on spoiling any potential Gauff v Williams quarterfinal is compatriot Sofia Kenin.
The Moscow-born No.14 seed was responsible for ending Serena’s Roland Garros campaign last year and could run into Gauff in the fourth round at Melbourne Park.
“I haven’t played anyone like that in a long time,” Serena said of Kenin’s line-ball accuracy in the aftermath of her Paris defeat.
The self-assured 21-year-old has set her sights on an Olympic selection for the US this year and with only Serena and Madison Keys currently ranked above her, is well placed to earn the call-up.
“I know that people obviously fear me, which is good,” Kenin told ausopen.com.
“I’ve established myself, I worked hard to get to where I am. I remember the position when people didn’t really fear me, they didn’t know me or anything, so I had to really establish myself.
“I think it’s good, they know I’m a tough competitor, I’m going to fight there, it gives me a lot of confidence I’m doing something right, and I’m just going to keep it going.”
The “next great American hope” is a tag that has followed and at times plagued American No.2, Keys, since she made her tour debut at 14. Her breakthrough at a major came at the Australian Open five years ago, when she beat slam champions Petra Kvitova and Venus en route to the semifinals.
It was not until the 2017 US Open that the player with the heavy-striking groundstroke – often compared to that of her coach Lindsay Davenport – reached her first major final at Flushing Meadows.
Despite falling convincingly to compatriot Sloane Stephens in that showdown, Keys went on to have her most consistent season at the slams in 2018. She warmed up for this year’s Australian Open by reaching the final in Brisbane and is yet to drop a set ahead of her third-round clash with Greek Maria Sakkari.
Former world No.35 CiCi Bellis and 2012 junior Australian Open champion Taylor Townsend could still join Kenin, Keys, Williams and 29-year-old compatriot Alison Riske in the third round, with 26-year-old Danielle Collins also in second-round action on Wednesday.
The 20-year-old Bellis is contesting her first Grand Slam since 2018 due to injuries, while 23-year-old Townsend is finally beginning to realise her potential having reached the fourth round at a major for the first time at Flushing Meadows last year.
But for all the hopes pinned on anointing successors to Serena, there was an inherent risk in comparing the players to a 23-time major champion.
“I think it's truly incredible that she's still at the top of the game so many years later,” Keys said.
“I have gotten to play her a few times and been on the losing end every time. She's just, she's so good.
“She has everything and when you're playing her and you feel like you're playing some of your best tennis, she just has another level. And the ability to do that year after year after year is just incredible.”