Osaka takes title, stays perfect in Slam finals
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA » As Naomi Osaka strode through the Champion’s Walk leading to the court for the Australian Open final — headphones on her ears, racket bag strapped to her back — she reached out her left hand to tap a panel marked with her name and the year of her previous title there.
Not a big deal, she explained.
Just a bit of superstition. Less than 10 minutes later, she began the match against Jennifer Brady. And less than 1 ½ hours later, Osaka won the last point, because that’s what she does when the stakes are the greatest on her sport’s biggest stages.
Osaka improved to 4-0 in Grand Slam finals by grabbing six consecutive games to pull away in what initially was a tight contest, beating Brady 6-4, 6-3 at Melbourne Park on Saturday.
“You don’t go into a final wanting to be the runner-up. For me, I feel like every opportunity that I play a Slam is an opportunity to win a Slam,” said the 23-year-old Osaka, who will move up to No. 2 in the WTA rankings. “So I think maybe I put that pressure on myself too much, but honestly, it’s working out in my favor right now.”
Sure is.
With serves that reached 122 mph (197 kph) and produced six aces, and returns that helped create six breaks, Osaka became the first woman to win her first four major finals since Monica
Seles did it 30 years ago.
That is part of Osaka’s 12-0 record in quarterfinals, semifinals and finals at the majors.
“She plays so aggressive that she puts so much pressure on you to perform well,” said Brady, a 25-year-old from Pennsylvania who played college tennis at UCLA and was participating in a Slam final for the first time. “And that’s something that not every tennis player has that ability to do.”
Osaka, the 2020 AP Female Athlete of the Year, is also on a 21-match winning streak that dates to last season and includes her championship at last year’s U.S. Open. She also won the U.S. Open in 2018, and the Australian
Open in 2019.
“What I have learned on and off the court is it’s OK to not be sure about yourself. For me, I feel like I’ve always forced myself to, like, be ‘strong’ or whatever. I think if you’re not feeling OK, it’s OK to not feel OK,” Osaka said. “But you have to sort of go within yourself and figure things out in a way.”
Only two active women own more major trophies: Serena Williams, with 23, and her sister, Venus, with seven.
“This is going to sound really odd, but hopefully I play long enough to play a girl that said that I was once her favorite player or something,” said Osaka, who signed autographs for fans after her victory. “For me, I think that’s the coolest thing that could ever happen to me . ... That’s how the sport moves forward.”