Aus Open Novak Djokovic Serena Williams: Erin Phillips tries to entice tennis stars onto balconies

A radio station race to bring tennis superstars Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic out onto the balconies of the Adelaide hotel where they are quarantining before the Australia Open has hit a new creative high.

A 1.5 by 1.2metre portrait of the Serb champion was painted in just four hours on Thursday by local artists Mark Lobert and Candice Thomas in full view of the players’ rooms. 

The eye-catching portrait will be auctioned off for charity at an exhibition match in Adelaide next Friday featuring Djokovic, Williams and fellow superstars Rafael Nadal, Simon Halep, Naomi Oaska and Dominic Thiem.

A 1.5 by 1.2metre portrait of the Serb champion was painted in just four hours on Thursday by local artists Mark Lobert and Candice Thomas in full view of the players’ rooms

The dawn ploy was conceived by Mix 102.3 breakfast show host Mark Soderstrom as he tries to ‘reunite’ with Djokovic, whom he met briefly 14 years ago when the teenager won the Adelaide International.

But his attempt at cuddling up to greatness is in danger of being overshadowed by one of Australia’s greatest athletes, his own breakfast co-host Erin Phillips, who let it slip that she has a history of ‘being semi-naked with Serena’.

Erin Phillips will put a giant blow-up picture of her with Serena Williams in just their underwear opposite the tennis star’s Adelaide hotel

To pip Soderstrom to his reunion, the Olympic basketballer and leading Aussie Rules women’s footballer is planning to a reconciliation of her own and will put up a giant blow-up picture of the duo in just their underwear, opposite Williams’ Adelaide hotel.

‘In the lead up to Rio Olympics there was a Berlei bras photoshoot and I got asked to participate,’ she said of the Melbourne gig headlined by Williams.

‘I didn’t care what I was wearing, I just wanted to meet one of the greatest athletes ever. It was one of those crazy moments.

‘Serena came in and was wonderful. You felt you were in the presence of greatness, I was just in awe of her.’

To stop fame going to her head, Soderstrom hopes the painting of Djokovic will challenge Lobert’s record sale price of $16,500.

The link to Djokovic is tenuous Soderstrom admits, they met just once when he was an on-court announcer at the 2007 Adelaide tournament.

‘Everyone knew he was going to be a star. It was raining and Novak said we had to do something to entertain the fans,’ Soderstrom said. 

The link to Djokovic is tenuous Soderstrom admits, they met just once when he was an on-court announcer at the 2007 Adelaide tournament

‘So we despatched ball boys to borrow some clubs and then chipped the balls into plant pots on court.’

The painting has so far failed to get the Serb to engage with ‘Soda’ and a Tuesday attempt to flush out Williams also flopped, despite a personalised rendition of ‘Say my name’ by Destiny’s Child, purportedly one of her favourite tracks, sung from the radio rooftop.

The chase will continue with more silent entertainment planned.

But will tennis’s biggest name remember Erin?

‘Probably not,’ she said. ‘But you never know.’ 

The painting has so far failed to get the Serb to engage with ‘Soda’ and a Tuesday attempt to flush out Williams also flopped