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Posted at 22:24 ET 8 Sep 2018 |
Naomi Osaka surprised Serena Williams to win the US Open, but Williams's heated argument with the chair umpire overshadowed the result.
USA TODAY & # 39; HUI
Naomi Osaka cries as Serena Williams comforts her after the crowd booed at the trophy ceremony following the US Open women's final.(Photo: Robert Deutsch, USA TODAY Sports)
NEW YORK – When Naomi Osaka started the year, she was a talented 20-year-old, ranked No. 68 on the WTA computer with a bright future ahead of her.
Nobody knew that 2018 would be the future. But that is the year she sealed her reputation as a Grand Slam champion and a top 10 star.
Monday morning, when she wakes up with the trophy of the US Open in her possession, she will be the world No. 7. She is also the first Japanese citizen – male or female – to win a Grand Slam title.
And she did so by defeating her childhood idol, Serena Williams, who won her first of 23 Grand Slam titles in 1999, while Osaka was not yet 2 years old. .
It's unfortunate that the spotlight was on Williams and not on Osaka when the trophy was handed over and the jokes at Arthur Ashe stadium finally stopped, at Williams' request. Many think that Osaka has been deprived of a real party.
Whether it's because Williams has always been her model or not, Osaka istoo classy says her first moment of glory in the sport has been forever ruined if that was what she felt. She also insisted that she mostly ignored everything that was happening on the ground, saying it was too much to follow.
Osaka's performance to win a 6-2, 6-4 win against Williams was ripe in the game and in serenity. In seven games played en route to the title, she lost only one set and a total of 34 games.
In the second round of the final, Williams, visibly upset to have been beaten by a Grand Slam neophyte, lost his composure and puerility. The result of three explosions – reactions to the call for violations of training, the destruction of a racket and the verbal abuse of The chair referee Carlos Ramos – allowed Williams to lose first a point and then a match.
It would have been difficult for Osaka to become a Grand Slam champion on the court because it was a pro-Williams team.
The truth is, however, that Osaka is not the great player of the celebrations. Even if there were no histionics in this final, she would not have been the world champion with weapons in the air or a whirlwind of victory.
All that Osaka would offer, it was a slight smile before a net hug for Williams, 36 years old.
In fact, she even brought her love to Williams in the classroom saying, "Growing up, I did a full report on her in third grade. I colored it and everything.
"I said," I want to be like her. "
More surprisingly, Osaka apologized to the fans for spoiling the moment for them – most had come to see Williams win a 24th Grand Slam trophy and equal Margaret Court's record – without seeing a new Grand Slam champion.
"I know everyone was encouraging and I'm sorry it must have ended like this," she said. "I just wanted to say thank you for watching the game."
When asked at her post-championship press conference why she felt it necessary to apologize to the court, she began to tear up.
"Your question makes me emotional," she said. "OK, because I know that, like, she really wanted to have the 24th Grand Slam, is not it? Everybody knows it. It's about ads, it's everywhere. Like when I get on the court, I feel like a different person. I am not a fan of Serena. I am just a tennis player who plays another tennis player.
"But when I kissed her at the net, I felt like a little kid again."
The only other Osaka career title came at the Indian Wells tournament in March. She beat Williams at the Miami Open later this month, but it was only Williams' fourth return match on maternity leave.
Osaka played as if the experience was in his corner. Williams voluntarily acknowledged that her opponent had passed her in all directions in the final, which was a more aligned attitude to a 36-year-old playing in her 31st Grand Slam final.
"I think she was really, really consistent," Williams said. "I think his game is still very consistent. I had the impression that she was playing really well. She was so focused.
"Honestly, there are many things I can learn from this game," she added.
A good place for Williams to begin this process might be to learn that instead of blowing up a fuse, one has to keep his cool in difficult situations.
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