Osaka not upset over Serena row

NAOMI Osaka said yesterday Serena Williams’s row with the umpire during the US Open final had not altered her feelings about winning a Grand Slam, largely because she had no idea how she was supposed to react.

The Japanese player’s breakthrough triumph in New York was overshadowed by an explosive row between her opponent Williams and umpire Carlos Ramos which resulted in the 23-time GS champion being docked a game and fined US$17,000.

At Flushing Meadows last Saturday, the 20-year-old was reduced to tears during the presentation ceremony but on her arrival back in Japan yesterday, she said she had not been saddened by the incident. “For me, I don’t feel sad because I wouldn’t even know what I’m expected to feel,” she told a news conference in Yokohama ahead of the Pan Pacific tournament.

“Because it was my first final and my first Grand Slam victory, overall I felt really happy and I know that I accomplished a lot. I don’t think I even thought about feeling sad because there’s no experience for me to draw on (from) any other Grand Slam final.”

One of the most controversial GS finals of all time divided tennis and triggered a debate about sexism in the sport, fuelled by Williams’s assertion that Ramos would not have dealt with a male player in the same way.

Much of the criticism of Williams has centered on how her actions had spoiled a precious moment for Osaka.