Former world no.1 Naomi Osaka first rose to the limelight after beating her idol Serena Williams in the final of the US Open 2018. While the match had many controversial moments, Osaka’s performance touched the heart of many tennis fans and she garnered a huge fan following shortly after her triumph.

In 2021, Osaka starred on the cover page of Sports Illustrated Magazine. During an interview at that time, the Japanese player talked about her famous win against Serena and her first reaction to winning a Grand Slam title.

Naomi Osaka talked about winning against Serena Williams at the US Open 2018

In 2021, Osaka attended a Zoom interview with a well-renowned model and host, Tyra Banks. Speaking about winning against Serena in a Grand Slam final, Osaka said, “I was definitely very nervous, but it also felt like I dreamed about that moment, you know. The night before the match, I realized that this is something I dreamed of doing since I was a kid. No matter what happens, I think my parents were proud of me. For me, I felt like that was the biggest thing that I can take away from that.“

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In the same interview, Osaka talked about looking for her father in the stands as soon as she won the match. “Even after I won that match, my first reaction was wanting to see where my dad was, because he never watches my matches ever,” Osaka further said. 

According to Osaka, her father doesn’t like to watch her matches, as he was very superstitious about it.

The controversial US Open final in 2018

Although Osaka played splendidly in the final against Williams, the controversies surrounding the match probably took the moment away from the Japanese player. Vying for her record-equaling 24th Grand Slam title, the American player lost the first set to Osaka in no time. The second set saw the infamous meltdown of Williams, as she received a warning from the chair umpire, Carlos Ramos, for a coaching violation.

Watch This Story: When Naomi Osaka encountered difficult interaction with the press

Then, she received a point penalty for slamming her racket onto the ground. However, things escalated quickly from there as Serena continued to argue with the chair umpire. At one point, the American tennis player called Ramos a ‘Thief’. That incident forced the chair umpire to give a third penalty, which cost Serena a game.

In the end, Osaka managed to win the match despite all the drama, but the crowd did not like what they saw on the court, as they started booing. During the trophy presentation, Serena showed great sportsmanship, giving Osaka a big hug, as the Japanese player started crying due to her monumental achievement.