Winning a Grand Slam title is never easy. The amount of sheer hard work it takes is phenomenal. But, Naomi Osaka made it seem effortless when she clinched her first-ever Major at the 2018 US Open. The Japanese star got the better of tennis legend Serena Williams in the summit clash. That’s just it. Her triumph over the American star carried quite a few implications. The repercussions of this haunt Osaka to this date.

The former World No. 1 made a comeback to the sport earlier this year. She went on a pregnancy hiatus and gave birth to her first child, an adorable baby girl named Shai. Since her return, the Japanese talent has been extensively trying to re-establish her position in the WTA Tour. However, not everything has worked out in her favor. Ever since Osaka’s Flushing Meadows win, the American crowd has been on the outs with her. A weight that the 26-year-old has been carrying with herself.

While making an appearance on the ‘Tennis Insider Club’ podcast on August 6, the four-time Grand Slam champion touched down on her 2018 New York run. She notably highlighted how the crowd was displeased with her thrashing on Williams. This, in turn, grew into a bitter resentment and elicited fans to discredit her win on social media platforms.

After witnessing such demeaning comments, stating that former world No. 1 “didn’t deserve to win”, Osaka revealed she’d cried for hours. Moreover, the Japanese still endures flashbacks of these comments when she thinks about it: “After I won my first US Open(laughs softly),

…I went on social media…I was just reading a lot of people saying that I didn’t deserve to win. Oh God!, I remember I started crying a lot. I still think about it a lot”. For the unversed, the American crowd rang out boos during the Japanese star’s US Open trophy ceremony.

They were seemingly not content with Osaka dethroning the Williams, who’d won the illustrious event six times( (1999, 2002, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014). However, the loud booing turned into loud cheers as soon as Serena, urged fans to give the credit where it’s due:

And now, Osaka is working to move on to better tasks. After suffering a premature end to her Paris Olympics campaign, the Japanese hopes to “learn how to win again”. Consequently, she recently disclosed “stalking” Polish star Iga Swiatek to level her game with the circuit’s top competitors.

Osaka opines Iga Swiatek has the “best footwork” on the Tour

There is no denying that there has been a significant drop in Osaka’s form ever since her return. However, the young talent is looking to change that. To much amazement, Osaka has found the perfect person to learn from!

Ahead of her Canadian Open participation, Osaka revealed that she has been spectating World No. 1 Swiatek‘s gameplay during the quadrennial event. The 26-year-old also highlighted her efforts to inculcate the Pole’s swift footwork into her game. “I was stalking Iga,

…I was watching her practice at the Olympics. That’s something I want to do more, watch the great players, because there’s always something I can pick up on. I know she has one of the best footwork skills on the WTA. I’m just trying to copy a little bit.”

The Polish star concluded her Olympic run by bagging a bronze medal. Although she couldn’t reach the podium’s top spot, Swiatek gave her best efforts. Meanwhile, Osaka will be next seen in action at the Canadian Open where she will lock horns with Tunisian star Ons Jabeur in the event’s opener today.