Tony Becca | Was Osaka’s victory really shocking?

When Naomi Osaka defeated Serena Williams 6-2, 6-4 to win the 2018 US Open tennis women's singles title, it was said, by everyone - including the experts - that it was a shocking, surprising, and stunning result.

While it may have been a surprise, it certainly, however, was neither shocking nor stunning, based on both players' performance leading up to the final.

Although Naomi was born in Japan, has lived in Florida since age three, is the daughter of a Japanese woman and a Haitian man, is a dual citizen of Japan and America, is 20 years old, and was playing in her first Grand Slam final, and Serena was 36 years old and was playing in her 32nd Grand Slam final and hunting a record-equalling 24 titles, Naomi's victory should not be considered as shocking.

And it should not be considered as such when it is remembered that people like Garry Sobers played Test cricket at age 17; that Mushtaq Mohammed played Test cricket at age 15; that PelÈ played brilliantly in the football World Cup at age 18; that Boris Becker won Wimbledon at age 17; that Pete Sampras won the US Open at age 19; that Sachin Tendulkar played Test cricket at age 16; that Mike Tyson won the world heavyweight boxing title at age of 20; and that Serena herself won the US Open title at age 18.

The only way Naomi's victory last Saturday could be considered shocking, surprising, or stunning is if it is remembered that Naomi was only two years old when Serena won the title for the first time in 1999 and that Serena was gunning for her sixth US Open title.

The real reasons, however, are many.

Serena has been a great champion, and arguably, she has been the greatest women's player ever.

She is not young any more, however, she has recently become a mother, and she has not been playing as much as she used to. She has slowed down, she is probably not so 'hungry' anymore, and she has been losing more matches, including a recent 6-0, 6-1 defeat to Johanna Konta in California.

Against that, Naomi is young - much younger than Serena - and she is good, very good. She was voted the newcomer of the year in 2016, she was not ranked 100 or so at the start of the year, but at number 68; she was seeded 20 at the US Open, Serena was seeded 17; and she showed that she was a contender and a serious challenger going into the tournament.

Naomi also had victories over Grand Slam champions like Maria Sharapova, Victoria Azarenko, Venus Williams, Karolina Pliskova, Simone Halep, and Caroline Wozniaki. She won at Indian Wells in March, defeating along the way, Sharapova, Halep, and Pliskova without dropping a single set; and just before the US Open, she had defeated Serena in the Miami Open in straights, 6-2, 6-3.

On top of that, she went into the US Open with a win over Serena, ranked only three places lower than Serena, beat some strong players on her way to the final, and dropped only one set while getting there.

And if that did not suggest she was a dangerous proposition in the final, her victories over Leisa Tsuenka in the quarter-finals at 6-1, 6-1, and in the semi-final over Madison Keyes, last year's finalist, at

6-2, 6-4, should have been enough to do so.

Naomi's speed over the court, her powerful serves, and her brilliant groundstrokes were too much for the field in the 2018 US Open, including the Serena Williams of 2018.

Even if Serena was the favourite, it would have been because of the memory of her earlier brilliance, her wonderful record, and her never-say-die attitude.

 

DISAPPOINTING END

 

The match, however, ended disappointingly because of Serena's behaviour, because of her verbal abuse of the umpire, because of her coach signalling to her during play, and because of her smashing and breaking her racquet.

While I cannot see how Serena could be blamed for her coach signalling to her, her behaviour was poor, and very poor at that. It went against everything in sport, and importantly, it took away from Naomi's victory.

The stakes were very high, and the penalties of losing a point and then a game to make it 5-3 in favour of Naomi in the second set may have - and must have - affected Serena.

Apart from the possibility that the match may not have been over at the time, her behaviour cannot be condoned.

Serena may have been angry, and maybe she had a reason for her outburst.

When one remembers, among other things, Serena's outbursts in 2009 against Kim Clijsters, and in 2011 in the final against Samantha Stosur when she was losing, however, it appeared that her behaviour stems from a belief that she has a right to win, and that she cannot - or should not - lose.

She also seemed to believe that she was bigger than the game, especially when she said - obviously in anger and after saying that the umpire was attacking her character, and after calling him a thief and a liar - "You will never, ever be on another court of mine as long as you live", and then demanded an apology.

 

NAOMI'S IDOL

 

Serena's tantrums must have spoiled, even a little bit, what should have been a wonderful and memorable moment for Naomi, who said that Serena was her idol, and who, when asked what she was thinking about during the semi-final match with Keyes, replied, with a smile, "I was thinking, I really wanted to play Serena".

Why?

"Because she is Serena," she answered with a girlish giggle.

After the final on September 8, Naomi all but apologised for beating Serena, and said, "I want to be like her."

That was a compliment bigger than any other. It was a recognition and an admission of Serena's greatness.

How did you feel playing Serena?

"You know, before ... , I feel like a tennis player playing another tennis player, but when I hugged her at the net, I felt like a little girl again."

That was another compliment from the new US Open champion in recognition of the past champion's greatness, and - who to tell? - the woman who may eventually become, especially on results, the greatest ever.