The final of the US Open back in 2018 had all the drama and action one could have ever hoped for. Serena Williams, who was eyeing her 24th grand slam title went head-to-head with Naomi Osaka, who was looking for her first-ever grand slam. In a match that contained controversy, ups and downs, and whatnot, it was the Japanese player who laid her hands on the title. However, despite winning the title, Osaka did not seem to be happy.

Reflecting on the same, in an exclusive interview, an American tennis bigwig Ben Rothenberg talks about what the scenario was back at the final of the US Open and how Naomi Osaka, despite winning the title felt a bittersweet moment as she defeated her idol.

Famous author reflects on how Naomi Osaka felt after defeating Serena Williams in the finals of the US Open

In a recent ES Fancast Exclusive, famous author Ben Rothenberg came ahead and talked about the incident that happened a few year ago at the Flushing Meadows. The 2018 US Open Final became about more than just tennis. It sparked big discussions on things like fairness, race, and gender. However, Naomi Osaka ended up in the middle of all this by beating Serena Williams, which caused a huge fuss.

Serena, who was losing in the match, got into it with the umpire, and looking back, we can understand more about what they said to each other. But what many forget is how tough it was for Osaka emotionally. She felt really sad about beating her idol, Serena, who was trying to win her 24th Grand Slam. Osaka wanted to win, but it was hard for her because she admired Serena so much. This mix of feelings made that match much more complicated for Osaka than just playing tennis.

“I think gets overlooked for why it was so tough for Naomi that day is that Naomi had to beat Serena to win her Grand Slam. And she was genuinely very sad to have to beat her favorite player as Serena was going for this record of 24 Grand Slams. Naomi didn’t like that she was the one to stop that as much as she wanted to win and obviously never relented in that match while it was actually being played,” said Ben Gothernberg in the interview.

Thus, Naomi Osaka, who won the final of the US Open felt both happy and sad at the same time. While the feeling of winning a grand slam is always special, she was sad as she had to go past her idol cum rival to clinch that.

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While the final was won by Naomi Osaak, Serena Williams was on the receiving end after she was fined due to her rage with the umpire.

Serena was fined $14k after her rage in the finals

Serena Williams, during the finals, was falsely accused of receiving coaching tips during the match against Osaka. She got into a huge clash of words with the chair umpire and eventually, the match took an interesting turn. This eventually resulted in her getting a $14,000 fine at the finals. Responding to the accusations, she suggested that she did not cheat and hasn’t even cheated in her life.

“I have never cheated in my life. You owe me an apology! I have a daughter and I have not cheated in my life. You are attacking my character and you owe me an apology. You are a liar. You will never umpire on a court of mine as long as you live. Give me my apology. You stole a point from me and you’re a thief too.” said Serena Williams.

Thus, the finals between Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka had all the twists and turns. While Naomi won, she did not celebrate the victory as she felt sad for her idol’s defeat. Serena on the other hand went emotional after she was falsely accused of cheating.

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