"Whenever I play Serena Williams, they broadcast it in a way that’s a rivalry" - When Naomi Osaka reflected on receiving negative media energy

Japanese tennis sensation Naomi Osaka once revealed how she received negative energy from the media while playing tennis legend Serena Williams.

The 25-year-old has always admired Williams, who has played professionally longer than Osaka has been alive. Despite Osaka emerging as a tennis superstar in her own right, Williams' star power continues to sway the young Japanese.

In a 2021 interview with GQ, Naomi Osaka highlighted how she received negative energy from the media as they always tried to make it sound like a rivalry whenever she played the 41-year-old. She also stated that not everyone can achieve what Serena Williams has accomplished in her career and that reaching that feat was one of her goals.

"There are so many tennis players in the world. And yet, for some reason, whenever I play Serena, they broadcast it in a way that’s a rivalry. But it’s not. She’s won so much more than me. So many people can try their entire lifetime and not catch up to what she’s done," Osaka said.

"And that’s something that, you know, I’m trying to set as a goal. I’m not even sure it’s possible to do everything that she’s done. But it’s also weird how they set it up like that," she added.

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"It felt like just a huge accomplishment to even be there in the first place" - Naomi Osaka on playing Serena Williams at 2018 US Open final

Naomi Osaka pictured with Serena Williams at the 2018 US Open.

Naomi Osaka won her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2018 US Open by defeating her idol Serena Williams in the summit clash in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4.

In the same interview, the four-time Grand Slam champion reminisced about her victory against the American, saying that it was a big accomplishment for her to play Williams in the finals, something she had always wanted to do since she was a child.

"As a kid, I always dreamed of playing Serena in the finals. So for me it felt like just a huge accomplishment to even be there in the first place. I was just going into it thinking it was a tennis match. And then I feel like everything after was something that I could have never prepared for. And I just felt super overwhelmed. Even during the trophy ceremony, I was overwhelmed," Osaka said.