Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, February 18, 2021 Japan’s Naomi Osaka with Serena Williams of the U.S. after winning their semi final match REUTERS/Kelly Defina
Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, February 18, 2021 Japan’s Naomi Osaka with Serena Williams of the U.S. after winning their semi final match REUTERS/Kelly Defina
American tennis superstar Serena Williams began her season by competing at the Australian Open 2021. However, she lost in the semifinal to Japanese starlet Naomi Osaka. She was left disappointed with her performance because she had prepared well enough to claim the title. Unfortunately, things didn’t work according to her wishes.
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Recently, Serena Williams’ coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, reflected on her conduct at the Australian Open this year. The French tennis coach felt that she was ready to go the distance and lift the title in Melbourne. He also mentioned that the quality of tennis produced by Williams this year would help her secure the title.
Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, February 18, 2021 Serena Williams of the U.S. reacts during her semi final match against Japan’s Naomi Osaka REUTERS/Loren Elliott
The 50-year-old coach stated, “She was extremely disappointed because she really felt like she was ready to win it, she was playing really, really good tennis. She really felt this one was for her and she was disappointed about her match and her performance. Naomi played a good match, but it was not the same Serena by far.”
Serena Williams didn’t match her usual standards at the Australian Open 2021 semifinal
Patrick did mention the intensity displayed by the Japanese star was noteworthy. On the other hand, he couldn’t say the same for Serena as she displayed a below-par performance, according to her standards. The Frenchman indicated that it was an opportunity lost for the American player to win a Grand Slam title.
In that match, Naomi Osaka took on the 39-year-old athlete in the semi-final. The established Japanese player played an offensive match and left no room for error. In doing so, she was able to seal the win in straight sets, 6-3 6-4. Osaka maintained her composure in a match that lasted for 75 minutes.
Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, Japan’s Naomi Osaka after winning her semi final match against Serena Williams of the U.S. REUTERS/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake
Serena has not played after the first Grand Slam of the season
After the Australian Open, Serena has not competed in any event. She was supposed to feature at the Miami Open but pulled out later. However, she intends to resume her season at the WTA Italian Open 2021 in Rome.
On the other hand, Naomi featured at the Miami Open and lost in the semifinal to Greek tennis player, Maria Sakkari. Prior to that loss, she was on a 23-match winning streak. She will next feature at the season’s first clay-court event in Monte Carlo later this month.
Also Read: With Miami Open 2021 Triumph, Ash Barty Maintains Stronghold Over Naomi Osaka for World No. 1 Spot
