The US Open 2018 Women's Singles Final. The Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka, Carlos Ramos Fiasco.
/I know not a lot of news outlets are covering this topic, so I wanted to shed a little light on the US Open Serena Williams debacle. You’re welcome :) Hehe
On a serious note, a lot of people have been reaching out to me and asking what my view on the whole issue is. So, in response I have made this video where I break down what happened, the controversy, and my take away.
#ThisMama, AKA Serena Williams, entered her second grand slam final in a row. She was defeated by Angelique Kerber at Wimbledon, but made her way back in to the finals at the recent US Open.
As we all know Serena Williams added to her list of accomplishments, mother to adorable Olympia with her husband and Reddit co -Founder, Alexis Ohanian, not long ago.
One big take away from Serena Williams is; sometimes being the best is actually a hard place to be. And Serena really added to that by winning the Australian Open 2017 while pregnant. She left the sport on maternity leave setting the bar high for herself. Really high.
So upon Serena’s triumphant return to the game, a lot of people’s expectations of her stayed where she left them, at that really high bar. And that’s a lot of pressure! Playing every tournament knowing that people are gonna be disappointed, or talk sh*t if you don’t dominate like you would every tournament pre-baby . . .
Also, to add to this already brewing pressure, Serena is extremely close to making history! She tied Steffi Graf’s record of 22 grand slam titles, and then exceeded it with a 23rd win when she won that Australian Open 2017 while pregnant, one more grand slam win to make 24 would tie her with the all time record set by Margaret Court, and 25 would make history. So people are also really looking to Serena to do just that. She’s so close, so what a shame it would be to be right there, and ultimately not make it.
And not only is she dealing with all of these external pressures, but I can imagine the pressure she puts on herself to do this, is pretty extreme as well. A lot of me personally isn’t sure Serena would have even returned to the game if it weren’t for this looming feat.
So that now brings me to the recent spectacle in the Women’s US Open finals match between Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka. Oh! And veteran ump Carlos Ramos, as he is one of the stars of this show as well . . .even maybe the lead.
Let’s break it down real quick.
Naomi Osaka went on to win the match 6-2, 6-4 to set history and become the first Japanese player to win a grand slam title. But, did she really win? And I don’t mean, who played the better tennis. I mean, was she really able to come out of this final match feeling like the champion that she is? When we think, US Open 2018 women’s singles, is the first thing that comes to mind our champion? Unfortunately, I'm not so sure . . .
Naomi Osaka, only 20 years old, came into the first set like a wrecking ball! No doubt, Osaka out played Serena in this first set. Williams first set was entirely plagued by errors, finishing with 13 unforced errors, four double faults, and just a 38 percent first serve rate.
Undoubtedly frustrated, afraid of squandering this opportunity, Serena was feeling the incredible weight of the pressure mounting on her.
Now into the tragic 2nd set we go . . .where the melodrama begins.
Tune in to this episode of TALK TENNIS to hear more on this topic from yours truly!
And by all means, let me know how YOU feel about all of this in the comments below!