Serena Williams has suddenly gotten the urge to use a serving arm sleeve as pioneered by Milos Raonic, fifth seed at the US Open.
Though the big-hitting Canadian lost to Kei Nishikori in a fourth-round match which lasted until a record-equaling 2:26 a.m. on Tuesday, Raonic has been making an impression with the colorful sleeve he has been wearing since Miami six months ago.
In addition, the 23-year-old’s impeccable – some say 1950s throwback – hair styling has garnered attention, with tennis trivia buffs marveling at how his follicles stay in place no matter what the exertions of the world number six.
Raonic credits it all to wise use of “product.” Both the sleeve and the hair now have spoof Twitter accounts.
Meanwhile, tennis fashionista Williams has been yearning to get herself set up with a sleeve, which Raonic said was first used to protect a rash and has now become a part of his arsenal, supposedly keeping his lethal serving arm “warm.”
Williams used a tennis day off to lament on Twitter about how much she now needs to “believe in the sleeve.”
“@serenawilliams: @milosraonic I love your arm sleeve. It’s super cool. Will it help my serve? #CanIHaveOne” Yes! #BelieveInTheSleeve
Whether Williams will get her wish has yet to be determined but Raonic has explained what the oddball accessory means to him and is game.
And it seems to have become something of a superstition which he has no intention of renouncing: “I’m not going to argue when things are going OK,” said the Canadian, who has moved on from his original white sleeve into one more color-coordinated with his clothing.
Topics: 2014 US Open, milos raonic, Serena Williams, Tennis
@serenawilliams LIKES THE ARM SLEEVE ON @milosraonic- http://t.co/V1MBvNHfWy #Serena #Raonic #armsleeve @MilosRaonicFans #tennis #USOpen