Naomi Osaka is defending her Australian title in Melbourne this month. The Japanese star won the tournament last season, defeating Petra Kvitova in the final. The win catapulted Osaka to tennis stardom as she also achieved the number one ranking. However, despite now being a star in her own right, the 21-year-old has revealed that she still struggles to communicate with the more established players like Serena Williams.
Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka remain good friends
In a recently conducted interview, Osaka said that she still struggled to talk to Serena Williams. The two players have played several matches against each other. Their most memorable encounter was at the US Open final in 2018. Osaka won the match to win her first Grand Slam title, but the match witnessed some controversy. Serena made some controversial remarks towards umpire after she got penalized for a coaching violation and unsportsmanlike conduct on the court. Despite the controversy that followed, Serena and Osaka have remained good friends and sometimes hang out off the court.
Naomi Osaka gets nervous
Osaka has revealed that Serena does most of the talking when they are together. “I get surprised that she talks to me and that I don’t talk back. I just say, Hi. How are you?” Osaka admits that she is more of an introvert, and struggles to make conversation with other superstars. The Japanese star is making an effort to be more outgoing, especially when she is among her peers. She recently posted a picture of her with Serena, in which she jokingly tagged her as her “mom.” The photo got some negative reactions as some fans interpreted the tagline as a jibe towards Serena’s age. However, the 23-time Grand Slam champion came to the defense of her counterpart, saying that Osaka would make a good sister for her daughter, Olympia.
Osaka has qualified for the third round of the Australian Open. She defeated Zheng Saisai 6-4, 6-2 to advance. She will face Coco Gauff in her next match. The two played each other at last year’s US Open. Osaka won the match and shared a lovely moment with the American teenager after she invited her to address the media despite defeating her. Coco has improved her game since their last meeting and could upset Osaka after recording yet another victory over Venus Williams. Serena will play Tamara Zidansek in the second round. She is the favorite to emerge victorious in Australia after winning the Auckland Open earlier this month.
Serena Williams at the Australian Open, ranking, and results in 2020
Ranked no.9, the American has a 6-0 win-loss record in 2020. Serena Williams is currently playing at the Australian Open where she defeated Anastasia Potapova 6-0 6-3.
Serena Williams will take on Zidansek in the 2nd round. They have never played each so far on the main tour.
Serena Williams has won 1 title in 2020 in Auckland.
Serena Williams won 73 titles in her career: 43 on hard courts, 13 on clay courts, 7 on indoor courts, 2 on carpet courts and 8 on grass courts. (See the list of her titles)
Osaka at the Australian Open, ranking, and results in 2020
Currently ranked no.4, Naomi has a 5-1 win-loss record in 2020. The Japanese is currently playing at the Australian Open where she ousted Marie Bouzkova 6-2 6-4 and Saisai Zheng 6-2 6-4.
Naomi Osaka will come up against Gauff in the 3rd round. The head to head is 1-0 for Osaka.
The last time that they played each other, Osaka won 6-3 6-0 in the 3rd round in New York (U.S. Open) in August 2019.
Osaka won 5 titles in her career: all of them conquered on hard courts. (See the list of her titles)
Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka played each other 3 times. The head to head is 2-1 for Osaka.
The last time that they played, Serena Williams won 6-3 6-4 in the quarter in Toronto (Rogers Cup) in August 2019.
In the following video you can watch the highlights.
Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka |
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