First Lady Michelle Obama downplayed her tennis skills as she hit balls at the U.S. Open, but it was clear she takes the recreational game seriously
First lady Michelle Obama displayed her skills in New York on Friday as she played doubles against Serena Williams, clocked a 55-mph serve and did some hula-hooping in her first visit to the U.S. Open.
Dressed in a fitted white jacket and black workout pants, she also spoke to a group of local youngsters as part of her Let's Move campaign against childhood obesity.
'I'm not really good or anything like that. That's the beauty of tennis,' she said.
Mrs Obama was in New York to promote her Let's Move campaign, which encourages physical activity
'You don't have to be good to enjoy it. I love the game, and my skills are very questionable.'
Obama then joined the kids in a tennis video game, table tennis and other activities at an indoor facility at Flushing Meadows designed to get young players excited about the sport.
Obama and a pint-sized partner played doubles against seven-time Grand Slam winner John McEnroe, who gave her some volley pointers.www.naijapaymentsonline.com
Mrs Obama was joined by Malivai Washington, Billie Jean King, James Blake, Serena Williams and Katrina Adams for the Let's Move event
The First Lady showed off a lighter side as she goofed around for the youngsters and showed off her hula hooping skills for the crowd
Williams, a 13-time major champ who advanced to the Open semifinals Thursday, rolled in after about 45 minutes and took over as Obama's doubles opponent.
'I've been trying to get to the U.S. Open my entire life,' Obama said.
Joined by former and current players Billie Jean King, James Blake and Katrina Adams, Obama recalled that she didn't get into tennis until after law school because there were few courts where she grew up on the South Side of Chicago.
Obama praised the U.S. Tennis Association's efforts to build kid-sized courts around the country and recruit more youngsters to the game.
After changing out of her tennis gear, Mrs Obama was briefly joined by daughter Malia, right, as she watched John Isner of the US play Andy Murray of Great Britain
She was later joined by Sasha, who sat her mother's lap after finding a seat in the shade
Now she hopes she and her daughters will still be playing when they're in their 90s.
'That's one of the reasons why I introduced the sport to my kids early on, because it's great for kids because it gets you moving,' she said.
'I know people in their 90s that are still playing tennis, and I want to be one of those people.
'It's a sport you can do forever,' Obama said.
Mrs Obama was very into the first sets, which American John Isner lost
She and daughter Malia, 13, and Sasha, 10, along with some of the children she's spoken to, then took in the Andy Murray-John Isner quarterfinal match at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The American Isner lost to Brit Murray.
Malia, a middle school student at Sidwell Friends in Washington DC, didn't stay with her mother throughout the match, however, staying away from public view.
But younger daughter Sasha, 10, took a comfortable seat in her mother's lap partway through.
The First Lady's office has yet to respond when asked for comment about the daughters' trip.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk
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