Standing shoulder-to-shoulder at last, Roger Federer and Serena Williams capped a champions' clash with a smiling selfie.
Bringing in the New Year with a bang, the iconic champions carried a combined 43 major singles crowns onto court and gave the 14,064 fans packed inside Perth's RAC Arena and millions more watching around the world a flash point worth framing.
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The first-ever meeting between the 37-year-old superstars—who crowned each other as the true GOAT—lived up to its blockbuster billing with flashes of mixed magic.
Both 23-time Grand Slam champion Williams and 20-time Grand Slam king Federer challenged each other at times during a fun and festive Hopman Cup mixed doubles match.
Living legends traded shots as the Swiss side of Federer and Bencic beat Williams and Frances Tiafoe leaving both Serena—and fans—wanting more.
"It was a great experience," Williams said in her on-court interview. "I'm kind of sad it's over, I was just warming up. It was so fun.
"It's something that as growing up—we grew up together, really—and having an opportunity... after all these years we've never actually done this, so it's super cool that we get to do this at such a pinnacle point in our careers. For me it as supper cool! I literally wanted to take pictures, bring my baby out. I'm like way too excited. But it was really fun."
Both champions played the deuce side in a match that popped with superb serving, rapid-fire net play, forehand-to-forehand exchanges between the future Hall of Famers, a head shot Federer absorbed from Tiafoe and that smiling selfie that closed Switzerland's entertaining 2-1 Hopman Cup victory over the United States in Perth.
Tennis was the real winner.
Sharing the court for the first time, both Federer and Williams looked as buzzed by the occasion as the appreciative crowd.
"It was great fun," a smiling Federer said. "I really enjoyed playing against Big Foe and Serena. What a pleasure. What an honor. Thank you, Serena, for making this match possible.
"I thought it was very entertaining and partially, it's obviously, because of the spectators. You guys made it really electric so thank you."
Williams rallied past Bencic, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, to level the tie at 1-all after Federer opened the festivities sweeping Tiafoe, 6-4, 6-1.
That set the stage for mixed doubles between Olympic gold-medal doubles champions.
Prior to the match, Federer said he had "dreamed" about facing Serena's explosive serve.
Afterward, both champions praised the deceptive deliveries.
"Well I was nervous returning because you just don't know," Federer said. "People talk about her serve so much and I see why it is such a wonderful serve because you just can't read it."
"I can't read yours either!" Williams replied.
"We have the same qualities," Federer quipped. "Yours is a bit better.
"For me, it was a bit nerve-wracking to be honest. Because all of a sudden you're serving especially the last serve and I'm like 'I gotta win this point, but it's Serena Williams.' And I was telling myself 'This is maybe what I've always wanted, maybe.' A big-time moment like this."
The New Year's Day showdown was a celebration of the classics.
Though they've broken bread together at Wimbledon, seen each other at sponsor shoots for Wilson and Nike, shared some small talk in tournament hallways and publicly praised each other as the GOAT, the superstars live on different continents and haven't spent a lot of time hanging out together before Hopman Cup.
Williams wasted no time making her presence felt, poaching net to thump an emphatic volley.
Federer was a floating closer at net, moving beautifully and striking decisively.
A slick stick volley from Federer that froze Williams followed by a Bencic bullet return winner down the line sparked the Swiss to break Tiafoe for a 3-2 first-set lead. Federer served out the first set at love.
The match featured high spirits and fast strikes.
The Australian Open champion drilled Tiafoe right in the chest with a short backhand prompting the American, to spin, teeter then tumble to the court before arising to smile off the body blow.
A stretched Federer flicked a volley when Tiafoe answered with a backhand swing volley that glanced off the Swiss' noggin.
Rubbing his ear, Federer smiled off the head shot while Serena offered a joking "Happy New Year!" from across the net.
Sharing the court in Perth, champions showed why tennis is such a unique sport.
It's one of the few pro sports where men and women can compete against each other equally.
Sharing the court for the first time prompted both champions to reflect on their shared qualities.
"We can relate to one another now also being parents even more so," Federer said. "Besides all the fact we won a lot and we're both fierce competitors. We always want to win. We try our best."
In the end, Switzerland got the win, Serena got the Federer selfie she's long sought and fans saw living legends remind us of why this is a glorious game for a lifetime.
Photo credit: Hopman Cup