Venus Williams's entourage has enlisted the help of a ball boy to courier a mid-match pick-me-up to the tennis star during her second round US Open clash.
Williams, who showed her taste for the bean in a tournament just prior to the US Open, received a coffee cup from the stands via the helpful hands of a ball boy at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
The bespectacled helper at first tried to follow Williams down the players' tunnel during the break in play after the first set, then paused in front of the restricted area.
"Looks like a spot of coffee," commentator Sam Smith said on the broadcast.
"Half a step faster, Venus just going off for a bathroom break."
Turning around, he appeared to get the signal from the crowd to leave the cup on the player's bench.
Whatever was behind the rush to get the drink to Williams, it then sat on the bench getting cold during the break in play after the first set.
But it seemed to hit the spot as Williams raced to a 3-0 lead in the second set, but then got worn down trying to save four break points.
That marked the turning point as Svitolina surged back, with the Ukrainian winning five consecutive games to lead 5-3, before winning the match 6-4, 6-4 — despite some late jitters where Williams saved five match points.
It's not the first time Williams has ordered a coffee mid-match.
During a changeover in a match against Donna Vekic at the Cincinnati Masters, Williams told her coach that all she wanted was a cup of coffee.
Her coach had come over to offer some mid-match pointers, but Williams had only one thing on her mind, mumbling "coffee" to him before he said "OK, I'll go and get it".
The coach proceeded to give his pep talk as a tired-looking Williams looked on.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) dropped its ban on caffeine in 2004, but it remained on the monitoring list from 2009.
