‘Couldn’t Find Peace’: What Made Serena Williams See a Therapist in 2018

One of the most difficult things to witness for any tennis fan over the past few years has been Serena Williams falling short at various Grand Slam tournaments. Ever since winning her 23rd major title at the 2017 Australian Open, Williams has played four Major finals since and lost against Angelique Kerber, Naomi Osaka, Simona Halep, and Bianca Andreescu.

While a defeat at any major final surely hurts, one of the most unfortunate incidents in Serena’s career happened during the 2018 US Open finals. The American, who was playing Osaka, was given three violations throughout the match. Out of the three, the final one costed her a crucial service game.

Serena Williams consulted a therapist after the heart-breaking 2018 US Open loss

For someone who is a fierce opponent on-court, Serena was devastated and initially felt that the 24th Grand Slam crown was taken away from her. In an essay written to Harpers Bazaar a couple of years ago, the American expressed how she managed to cope up with that heart-breaking loss.

Serena mentioned going to a therapist in order to get past the incident.

“Days passed, and I still couldn’t find peace. I started seeing a therapist.” 

Later in the same essay, the American also revealed her warm gesture towards Osaka, where she sent a message expressing her regret for taking the limelight away from the Japanese player.

Serena and Osaka maintained gentle camaraderie ever since their first meeting

“Hey, Naomi! It’s Serena Williams. As I said on the court, I am so proud of you and I am truly sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing in sticking up for myself. But I had no idea the media would pit us against each other. I would love the chance to live that moment over again. I am, was, and will always be happy for you and supportive of you,” she wrote to Osaka. 

Even though Serena had all the right in the world to express her disappointment, a memorable moment was taken away from Naomi Osaka as a result. The American brushed off her problems and gracefully allowed the Japanese player to soak up the victory during her post-match speech.

But the crowd’s reactions didn’t allow Osaka to have the dream celebration she would have imagined. However, it was nice to see Serena reach out to Naomi without making it awkward for the duo the next time they met each other on a tennis court.

Post the incident, both Osaka and Serena always maintained grace and warmth whenever they faced and the Japanese player has lauded Williams several times for being a huge inspiration.

Also read: How Many Siblings Does Serena Williams Have?