A question out of left field, as Venus Williams takes over as an eloquent spokesperson for the US tennis team

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – From the moment the 11-player U.S. tennis squad trooped in to a huge press-conference room for its media availability, it was clear defending Olympic singles gold medalist and world No. 1 Serena Williams was not, despite her centre-court seat on the panel, the spokesperson for the group.

The group – the largest tennis contingent at the Games – was delayed some 30 minutes because of transportation problems and in the meantime, the name cards for women’s team captain Mary Joe Fernandez and men’s captain Jay Berger were removed.

Williams looked as though she wanted to be anywhere else.

So it was left to sister Venus, some bright USA-red strands freshly threaded among her extensions since her time in Montreal last week and with matching movie-star lipstick, to take a prime-time role and take on on any questions that veered even slightly outside of “How many medals are you hoping for?”

That moment came quickly, when a South American journalist silenced the room with a question better suited for another forum.

“To Serena, Venus … and Sloane, too – …

Some of you have talked about how important it was to represent (the) USA. But I was wondering with the Black Lives Matter movement and the problems you’ve having right now in the U.S., do you feel like you’re playing for something even bigger than Team USA, that you’re representing something more important?”

The longest, most awkward pause then ensued. Four of the female players up on the dais just looked back and forth at each other as it became clear that the Williams sisters, along with Sloane Stephens, were wondering if they should address the fact that there was another player up on the stage who had been left out of that question.

View photos Four African-American women are the highest-ranked female tennis players in the U.S. – and all four have accepted the Olympic challenge unlike some of their counterparts on the men's side. (Stephanie Myles/Yahoo) More

More silence. Then Venus took over.

“Is this a question for the African-Americans on the team?”

“Yes, well…” was the answer.

Venus Williams then looked over at Madison Keys, whose father is African-American, and asked her:

“Do you want to be included in this Madison, at all, or …?

Then Venus looked at the questioner. In her sternest tone, she said, “I didn’t understand the question.”

It was repeated, more or less, asking whether the three (four?) African-American players up on stage – fully one third of the American squad – believed that they were representing “an even bigger cause.”

Again, Venus took it upon herself to deftly juggle that hot potato. In Canadian Olympic parlance, she owned the podium.

“USA Tennis is here to hopefully medal, and who knows, maybe we could take more than one medal home. So I think that’s what we’re focused on right now. We can’t focus on anything, any movement – especially anything happening in the States,” she said. “Right now we’re focused on the world community, and how we can build that positivity. So if that includes building positivity in the States, we’re all for it.”

End of quote. No chance in the world a follow-up question would be entertained.

Case closed – ably handled by the WTA Tour’s matriarch and most eloquent spokesperson.