Before the 2018 US Open final, Japanese star Naomi Osaka spoke about how she and her sister paid several visits to the US Open to watch Serena Williams play. She said that they used to sit in the upper deck and couldn’t really get close enough to get an autograph from the American. Talking about Williams, she said, “I don’t know if anybody knows this, but Serena is my favorite player. Just playing against her is a dream for me.” Although before this meeting they had already faced each other at the 2018 Miami Open, where Osaka sealed a victory with a 6-3,6-2 margin, playing against her idol in a Grand Slam final was something more special for the Japanese superstar.
But what was expected to be a big day for then-20-year-old Naomi Osaka was overshadowed by an on-court drama. Later on, Osaka even admitted that she had a very tough night after becoming a Grand Slam champion at the 2018 US Open. But what really happened, though? Well, in that match, Serena Williams was handed a game penalty for her angry outburst, which followed racket smashing and another code violation, as Naomi Osaka wrapped up the vital clash by 6-2,6-4. It all started with Williams receiving a first code violation after the chair umpire, Carlos Ramos, judged a gesture from her then-coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, to be coaching.
Williams kept on saying repeatedly that she hadn’t received any tips or tricks from her coach and also claimed that she’d “never cheat to win and would rather lose.” Seeing her angry outrage towards the umpire, the stadium was filled with a lot of boos and jeers. The drama continued as the atmosphere inside the Arthur Ashe Stadium became more toxic. After the match, more boos came in when Naomi Osaka stepped up for the prize ceremony. “I’m sorry it had to end like this,” said Osaka with tears in her eyes. Although it was her first major triumph, Osaka still could’ve expected a better ending to that dream-come-true match! Time and again, she has spoken about how emotional the moment was at that time, and now, she has once again shed light on that controversial US Open moment during Jay Shetty’s Podcast.
While having a discussion in the podcast, Naomi Osaka recalled, “I just have this very vivid memory of winning, going back to my hotel, and the US Open is special because you kind of get back to your hotel if you have a night match at like 1:00 am or something like that. Doing treatment because I was going to play a tournament in Tokyo right after that, and I was just reading comments of people saying that I didn’t deserve to win or like I didn’t win fairly, and I don’t know, it just really sucked.” Did she get a chance to talk to Serena Williams after that?
Well, after that match, Naomi Osaka revealed that she did receive some kind words from the 23-time Grand Slam champion. “She said, like, she was proud of me and that I should know that the crowd wasn’t booing at me. So I was really happy that she said that,” Osaka said this on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. At that time, she felt that the crowd was booing at her, so it made things a little bit tougher for her. Even in this conversation with Jay Shetty, Osaka admitted, “She (Serena) was actually really kind and sent me a message, and I sent her a message back, but I always get so starstruck by her…“
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 27: Naomi Osaka of Japan walks on court before playing against Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia during their Women’s Singles First Round match on Day Two of the 2024 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 27, 2024 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
Even last year, when Naomi Osaka appeared on the Tennis Insider podcast, she spoke on the same topic. “I went on social media the night after I won. I was reading a lot of people saying that I didn’t deserve to win. I remember I started crying a lot,” she said. Later on, Osaka also claimed that this thing (raining boos inside Arthur Ashe Stadium after her win) never really processed well with her. How did the tennis world react to that incident?
After seeing that incident, renowned tennis coach Brad Gilbert said it’s extremely sad to see Osaka go through this moment in her first major title triumph, especially after putting up a tremendous show throughout that tournament. Liam Broady felt absolutely “gutted” for Naomi Osaka. Canadian tennis star Vasek Pospisil said, “What a disappointing way for a US Open final to end.“
Plenty of reactions came in after that incident, but that’s a past thing now! At the moment, Naomi Osaka is busy re-establishing her dominance in the tennis world. She’s currently playing at the Canadian Open, and guess what? She’s on a three-match winning streak, here!
Naomi Osaka shares her thoughts after securing an impressive victory against Jelena Ostapenko
Other than winning the title at the WTA 125K Saint-Malo, FR, it has been a pretty ordinary season for the former world number one. Naomi Osaka has a win-loss record of 21-11 this season, but shortly after making an early exit at Wimbledon, she did manage to reach the R16 at the Citi Open and now, even at the Canadian Open, she has secured a spot in the fourth round (R16).
Osaka defeated the 2017 French Open champion, Jelena Ostapenko, in the previous round by 6-2,6-4. With this triumph in this 1 hour and 12 minutes battle, she has now booked her place in the last 16 of a WTA 1000 event for the third time this year. What did she say after outclassing one of her “favorite players” in this match, though?
“Granted, she broke me a couple of times, but she’s a really good returner, so I can’t take that personally. I went in there knowing she’s a great player and if I give her a chance, she’s going to hit a winner on me, so I just tried to keep my pace and stay as solid as I could,” she said in her post-match interview.
Naomi Osaka will next face another Latvian, Anastasija Sevastova, in the R16. Sevastova will be entering this contest following her impressive three-set triumph over the two-time defending champion, Jessica Pegula. So, it won’t be easy for Osaka! But if she wins that match, then Naomi Osaka will be on the brink of a move into the Top 32 of the WTA Rankings. This will indeed boost her chances of being seeded at the 2025 US Open. Do you think she can keep her winning run intact in this tournament?
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