Tennis royalty Serena Williams has given some insight into how her friendship with Dustin Martin came about.
The Richmond superstar appeared on social media alongside Williams and her partner Alexis Ohanian while on holiday in the Maldives in November, much to the surprise of many.
Williams explained why she was hanging out with Dusty after she defeated Laura Siegemund at the ASB Classic in Auckland.
"He's friends with one of my best friends and they were there and he was there," she said.
"He's super athletic. We did some water sport and he killed me in it. I was like 'I'm not even gonna try. This is my off season!'
"He's a great guy. I loved hanging out with him."
Williams added that she will meet up with Martin during the Australian Open: "We definitely plan on catching up."
The seven-time Australian Open winner will be searching for her 24th major title when the tournament begins on January 20.