Legendary American tennis player Serena Williams plans to retire after the 2022 US Open. The manner she overcame obstacles on and off the court has motivated many aspiring players to pursue the sport, even though her accomplishments have set a standard for future generations. Among them is Naomi Osaka. The 24-year-old has widely mentioned the 23-time Grand Slam champion as her inspiration and is a passionate Serena Williams admirer.

Naomi Osaka is still competing on the tour even after not having a great year on the court in 2022. Since she withdrew from the French Open and skipped Wimbledon last year to focus on her mental health, she has come a long way. 

Naomi Osaka admires Serena Williams 

Osaka, who has two Grand Slam victories in New York, recently opened up in the US Open press conference about Serena Williams’ being a legend not only in the sport but also in handling her family and business ventures.

Osaka said, “I mean for me, I think in a very – like this is the most obvious part. But if you look at everyone that’s our skin color, clearly we followed her. I also think, like, business-wise she’s very into tech, so whoever follows that or tries to follow that, I think it will clearly be under her influence. Just overall, like culturally and style-wise, she was the first one to have her own line and stuff like that.”

Trending

‘I Was Already Salty’- Serena Williams Pokes Husband Alexis Ohanian Over His $180 Million Master-Stroke for Their Daughter Olympia

May 03, 2024 08:01 PM EDT

Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek’s Nail-Biting Madrid Final Forces Chris Evert to Break Her Long-Drawn Silence With a Stirring Message

May 04, 2024 10:39 PM EDT

Madrid Open: Aryna Sabalenka Joins Iga Swiatek in Giving a Cold Shoulder to Coco Gauff as WTA Big 3 Debate Rages On

May 03, 2024 05:11 PM EDT

Coco Gauff Soars to New Heights With $5.3 Billion Worth Sponsor as She Announces Delightful Sneaker Surprise for Fans

May 04, 2024 07:30 PM EDT

Andy Roddick Lays Bare Coco Gauff’s Issues That’s Ending Her Case as WTA Spearhead Alongside Swiatek and Sabalenka

May 03, 2024 04:57 PM EDT

Get instantly notified of the hottest Tennis stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

‘Don’t Want To Have All Those Points Taken Off’ – Naomi Osaka Cautions Emma Raducanu About the Pressure of Defending Her US Open Title

Further, she talks about how she paved a way for the younger generation to fluently go forward. She said, “There’s definitely been a lot of barriers that I’m sure she had to fight to break down. We can now easily go through that because of her. I don’t know. I’m pretty sure there’s a lot of things that she’s done that I don’t know about. But it will be interesting to see.” Serena has fought her way from being a black woman in the game and even grown her own clothing brand into a successful business venture. 

Previous clashes between Serena Williams and Osaka 

The two last faced off at the 2021 Australian Open, where the current world no. 44 prevailed her way to her fourth Grand Slam victory. Serena and Osaka both faced severe difficulties on the tour. However, the Japanese star will be aiming to reclaim her form in the tournament while Serena hopes to depart on a good note.

Watch this story –  When Mike Tyson supported Serena Williams for her US Open meltdown against Naomi Osaka

Williams and Osaka have met four times, with three victories for Osaka. 2018 saw their first encounter in Miami, which Osaka won 6-3, 6-2. They then faced off in the US Open final. Osaka won her first Grand Slam with a score of 6-2, 6-4. They would clash twice more, with Osaka triumphing in the semifinals of the Australian Open in 2021, while Osaka won their final encounter in Toronto in 2019.

During her final performance at Flushing Meadows. Williams will be attempting to equal Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles.