Naomi Osaka had an amazing match against Serena Williams in the Australian Open quarter-final to drop just 7 games against her childhood idol. Naomi played extremely well and after a not-so-great start, she got the situation completely under control.
Naomi Osaka’ coach Fissette
Naomi hired Wim Fissette as her coach for slightly more than 1 year. The Belgian has a huge experience as he has already partnered with the likes of Victoria Azarenka, Kim Clijsters, Simona Halep, Angelique Kerber, and Johanna Konta.
When asked about Naomi’s mental state about facing Serena Williams, Wim revealed that he was amazed by Osaka’s excitement right before the match.
“Naomi was excited before the match,” Fissette commented. “She was like when I bring my kids to the toy store, you know? Naomi was excited to go on court with Serena.
“It’s just beautiful to see, because a lot of times you feel the pressure, like you kind of maybe fear to lose. But her mindset is just looking at the positives, like, ‘This is exactly where I want to be. This is what I train for. This is the moment where I want to play my best tennis.’”
During the press conference that followed her match against the American champion, Naomi revealed that she wished she would play Serena many more times, but…(we all know she will retire sooner or later).
The final against Jennifer Brady
Naomi will play the final against the American Jennifer Brady. Their current head to head is 2-1 for Osaka.
Osaka at the Australian Open, ranking, and results in 2021
Now the world no.3, Osaka achieved an overall 9-0 record in 2021. Naomi is currently playing at the Australian Open where she bested Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1 6-2, Caroline Garcia 6-2 6-3, Ons Jabeur 6-3 6-2, Garbine Muguruza 4-6 6-4 7-5, Su-Wei Hsieh 6-2 6-2 and Serena Williams 6-3 6-4.
Naomi won 6 titles in her career: all of them conquered on hard courts. (See the list of her titles)
Serena Williams in 2021
Currently ranked no.11, Serena played her last match on the 18th of February when she was overcome by Naomi Osaka 6-3 6-4 in the semifinal of the Australian Open (draw).
Until now, during this year Serena has managed to achieve a composed 8-1 match record. Serena Williams’s most significant result of the current year was getting to the semifinal in Melbourne and at the Australian Open.
Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams faced off 4 times. Their actual record is 3-1 for Osaka. Previously, the last time when they squared off, Naomi Osaka won 6-3 6-4 in the semifinal in Melbourne (Australian Open) on the 18th of February 2021.
You can see them in action in the following highlights.
Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams |
| Embed from Getty Images |
