WILLIAMS SISTERS, SERENA, VENUS DISPLAY AFFECTION FOR D’BANJ

American Tennis superstars, Serena and Venus Williams who were in Nigeria recently displayed their love for the sensational Nigerian artiste, D’banj as they danced to his Oliver Twist song to the admiration of all and sundry.

The curvy Black American tennis players openly declared their love for the Nigerian pop star at Lagos Lawn Tennis Court when they sensationally danced to the beat of D’banj’s popular hit track, “Oliver-Twist,” to the amazement of the cheering crowd.

Speaking about their stay in Nigeria at the Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos, later in the day, the celebrated sisters revealed that they were a big fan of D’banj, a reason they went wild when the DJ played his song, during their exhibition match.

“D’banj is not a stranger to us. He is a big fan of ours and he is one of the greatest musicians to come from Africa. We also love his music and are disappointed he is not physically here to thrill us today. All the same, we had fun,” Venus admitted.

“We have always admired and love him. We like his style, he is a symbol of a typical African musician, ‘Serena added with a smile.

She continued: “The emotional experience we’ve had in Nigeria is absolutely awesome. It’s one of the most exciting moments we have ever had in our careers and we believe this visit would “break the mould’’ and inspire Nigerian youngsters who look up to us. This moment will always linger in our memories throughout our life time.’’

These two sisters have really appreciated the support and love their Nigerian brothers and sisters have showered on them within the short time they have spent here.

They said ‘’this is our first visit to Africa and we really felt at home and enjoyed every moment of our stay starting from our arrival at the international airport. The enthusiasm, the reception and warmth are experiences we will like to go home with. We will be happy to be back again.’’

Meanwhile, we reliably gathered that the organizers upon realizing how badly the famous sisters wanted to meet with D’banj, equally tried linking them up with the Koko Master, but didn’t succeed due to time constraints.

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Lagos stands still for Venus, Serena

 Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola presents the emblem of the state government to US tennis stars Venus (C) and Serena Williams during a visit at the Government House in Lagos October 31, 2012.

The two most famous names in women tennis, Venus and Serena Williams were up and about in Lagos yesterday and the city stood still to herald their grand presence in the bustling commercial city of Africa.

On their first officialday in Africa’s most populated city, the two sisters, who between them have won 22 Grand Slam titles, practically stopped the free flow of traffic along the Ahmadu Bello Way, Osborne Road and some parts of Ikoyi.

Surrounded by fierce-looking security operatives, who went about their job professionally, the Williams sisters, who were accompanied by their mother, Oracene, got a rousing ovation at the Federal Palace Hotel and the Ikoyi Club 1938, where all the adjoining streets to the exclusive club, were closed to traffic because of them.

At the club, where chants of their names resonated at interval, the sisters conducted a tennis clinic for about 700 kids, who were excited with this once in a lifetime opportunity to knock the ball with the famed duo.

On their most burning ambition, they said that winning a doubles gold at the Rio 2016 Olympics was top on their mind.

“Winning a doubles gold is obviously top on our target. We love the Olympics and we hope to win gold at the next Olympics in Rio de Janeiro”, said Venus.

Serena said that they hope that their tour of Nigeria, which will see them play an exhibition match tomorrow at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club in Onikan, will usher in a change to Nigerian tennis and empower women and the girl-child.

“Nigerian girl must rise and achieve her potential. Its so amazing being here for the first time. I tried several times but I’m glad I made it this time around”.

For Serena, who has won15 Grand Slam titles, being in Lagos was dream come true for her

“We are excited to be in Nigeria. My first time was a brief stop over when I traveled to an African country a few years back. It was disappointing that I could not interact with Nigerians back then, that’s why I’m going to cherish every minute I have to spend here now.

“It also makes me crazy to know that we have many fans in Nigeria, in fact, I receive thousands of messages everyday on Twitter from Nigerians who were asking if I would come here. Well here I am and It will be an honour to play against my sister for Nigerians and we will give you a good show..

“I hope that our presence and what we do would help to change Nigerian tennis. I hope that these players will be inspired to become the best”, added Serena, who last weekend won the WTA Tour Championship in Istanbul, Turkey.

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