Many spectators were amazed at how coldly Naomi Osaka lost the US Open final against Serena Williams after all the drama – of course this was actually not.
It could have tilted everything so easily: After Serena Williams lost the game and points at the end of the women’s final in New York, the audience wanted only one winner – Serena. And if the American had exploited this situation with a few spectacular points, it would have been difficult for Naomi Osaka.
Would be, would be, bicycle chain, as Lothar Matthäus would say: Osaka stayed cold like a dog’s snout – and served her last service game hard as nails. She turned her second match point into a service winner.
However, the 20-year-old was not always known for her strong nerves: Two years ago, she was on her way to the round of 16 against Madison Keys 5-1 in set three, but lost the match.
“A part of me is very nervous and stressed,” Osaka now admitted in conversation with the WTA. “That’s why it’s not normal for me to be so quiet. I think that was only the case in Indian Wells (where she won, the Red’s note) and here. It’s hard for me to get that consistency in, but I’m working on it.” A secret: “The only thing I can do in such situations is to try the best. That’s the mentality I have when people think I’m calm.”
Nevertheless, Osaka had a little mental trick: “I just think more about having fun and not so much about it. So yes, whether I win or lose! But even if I lose, my main goal is to give 100 percent at every ball.”
You can listen to the WTA Insider Podcast and excerpts from their press conference here!