MELBOURNE, January 10, 2017

Venus and Serena Williams welcomed more than 380 ball kids to Melbourne Park on Tuesday as we enter the six day countdown to Australian Open 2017.

Venus thanked the young unsung heroes of the tournament before a surprise appearance by her sister, six time Australian Open Singles champion Serena.

“I’m always super excited about the beginning of each New Year, and love coming to Melbourne for the Australian Open. The weather is great, there’s always something new happening around the grounds and the fans are so passionate and supportive,” Serena told ahaed of the first Grand Slam tournament of the year.

Rafael Nadal, Lucas Pouille and Andy Murray hit the courts for a practice session.