A year ago, Serena Williams was giving birth to her first child. Complications led to Serena being rushed into surgery, as well as an extended recovery time. Her comeback started off slow, and included a few embarrassing losses, but she’s now into her second consecutive Major final. At Wimbledon, she was completely outplayed in the final by Angelique Kerber. Two months later, she’s in better shape, and playing a much higher level of tennis. She’s been sharp in just about every set she’s played in this fortnight, dropping only one on her way to this final.
Naomi Osaka is a 20-year-old looking to become the first Japanese woman to win a Grand Slam event. When Naomi was a child, as ESPN in the US outlined, her father saw Serena playing doubles at the French Open with her sister Venus, and decided to get his daughters playing tennis. Naomi is now into her first Major final, having never been farther than the fourth round at a Grand Slam event prior to this tournament. Six months ago in the US, she won the only title of her career, the Premier Mandatory event at Indian Wells. Much like Serena, she’s dropped only one set in this tournament. Outside of that tight match against fellow 20-year-old Aryna Sabalenka, she’s only lost 15 games in 10 sets played. Needless to say, she’s been dominant.
Serena Williams vs. Naomi Osaka
Six months ago in Miami, Naomi was fresh off that Indian Wells triumph, while Serena was only in the second tournament of her comeback. In the opening round, Osaka thumped Serena, dropping only five games. Serena played a very bad match, to put it bluntly. Afterwards, she skipped the post-match press conference and went straight home, frustrated with her form. That is the only time they’ve played before today. Osaka should take confidence from that victory, but you know Serena will be eager to avenge that loss. And playing Serena in tennis’ biggest stadium with a Major title on the line is an entirely different situation. Serena of course is also a much different player six months later.
When asked about Serena in her on-court interview on Thursday, Naomi declared her love for the 23-time Major champion. It’s a challenging task to try to defeat someone you’ve looked up to your whole life. Normally I’d speculate if it will be odd for Serena to play someone 16 years her junior, but Serena’s killer instinct is well documented. Another interesting aspect of this matchup is the presence of Osaka’s coach, Sascha Bajin, who spent years as Serena’s hitting partner. He’ll be able to offer Naomi with some unique insights ahead of the match. At the same time, I’m sure Serena won’t want to lose to the charge of her former hitting partner.
With the way Osaka has been playing, she has a legitimate chance to prevail here. It would be shocking if Serena didn’t walk onto the court a bit tight when playing for history, and she hasn’t won in New York since 2014. If Osaka can continue to serve and hold well, that will apply pressure onto Serena’s service games. That being said, Serena is by far the best server of all-time in the women’s game. Even if she does get behind, it’s hard to imagine Osaka will be able to avoid tightening up herself, with this being her first time in a Major final. All things considered, I just don’t see Serena faltering at the finish line for the second straight Major. After all, she’s 23-7 in Grand Slam finals. The New York crowd has been firmly on her side throughout this tournament, more so than any previous year. They will likely cheer Serena on to her 24th Major title.
