Osaka’s win puts her up with the greats

NAOMI OSAKA will continue to tread her own path but the Japanese star’s fourth grand slam title at the Australian Open puts her in rarefied company.

Osaka maintained her perfect record in slam finals with a 6-4 6-3 victory over first-time finalist Jennifer Brady of the US, adding a second title in Melbourne to the two US Open trophies she owns.

The 23-year-old is just the third player in the Open era to win her first four slam finals after Monica Seles and Roger Federer and, on being told that fact, she said with a smile: ‘That’s amazing company.

‘I hope I can have one grain of how their career has unfolded. You can only wish and you can only just keep going down your own path.

‘But it’s definitely something crazy to hear.’

Osaka struggled to deal with her new-found status after winning back-to-back slam titles in New York and Melbourne in 2018 and

2019 but she has become comfortable with her position and the expectations placed upon her. She said: ‘The first time that I won both these trophies, I was just a kid. I didn’t really know what I was doing. I was winning my matches but I wasn’t really appreciating the moment. So I would say the ups and downs in my career definitely opened my eyes a lot. I don’t look at expectations as a burden any more.’

Eight-time champion Novak Djokovic is taking on first-time finalist Daniil Medvedev in the men’s final this morning (8.30am).

Medvedev is bidding to extend a 20-match unbeaten run and win his first grand slam title while Djokovic can make it three titles in a row at Melbourne Park.

The Serb, who has battled through fitness worries en route to the final, also holds a perfect 8-0 record in Australian Open finals.