Serena donates $43,000 winners cheque to Australia fire victims

WELLINGTON: Serena Williams ended a three-year title drought and donated her winner’s cheque to victims of the Australian bushfires in an emotional WTA Auckland Classic final on Sunday.

It was the 38-year-old William’s first tournament triumph in three years, but she tempered celebrations by saying her thoughts were with Australians victims.

“I’ve been playing in Australia for over twenty years and it’s been really hard for me to watch all the news and everything that has been happening in Australia with all the fire and… animals and people that have lost their homes.”

Williams has also signed the dress she wore in the first round in Auckland and put it up for auction to raise funds for the Australian appeal.“I decided at the beginning of the tournament… I’d donate all my prize money for a great cause.”

It is Williams’ first title since 2017 — and her first as a mother — since she won the Australian Open while pregnant. Her 73 WTA titles now stretch across four decades, after she won her first in 1999.