Naomi Osaka: Women’s U.S. Open Tennis Champion

William Spivey
Sep 8, 2018 · 4 min read

Almost no one was happy at the conclusion of the Women’s Final of the US Open. Even the victor, Naomi Osaka wasn’t beaming with joy after winning her first Grand Slam final at the age of twenty against her idol, Serena Williams.

The match was marred by the chair umpire Carlos Ramos making himself as much a factor as either of the players. First, he called a violation against Serena’s coach, for giving hand signals suggesting she come to the net. Coaching happens all the time in tennis and is rarely called, Ramos issued the warning for coaching which Serena strenuously objected to, telling the umpire, “I don’t cheat to win, I’d rather lose.”

The first warning became more important later in the match when after a poor service game, Serena threw her racquet down shattering it which was her second violation. Due to the progressive nature of tennis penalties, Serena was cited and a point was taken away from the beginning of their next game. Between points, Serena had more to say to Ramos about his insinuation that she was cheating, saying, “you stole a point from me, you’re a thief too!” Ramos responded by calling her for verbal abuse, a third violation which cost her a game in a critical second set after already losing the first. With some members of her team suggesting she withdraw, Serena finished out the match in tears, losing to Naomi Osaka in straight sets.

It should not be lost in the furor that Naomi had had an outstanding two weeks at the US Open, beating her opponents handily with a strong serve and excellent placement that stymied her foes. She was leading her match against Serena before the umpire decided to insert himself. Osaka served well, stayed focused throughout and at age twenty, will be a factor for several years to come. Serena has been down before and came back with a vengeance to win. While Naomi was playing well, we’ll never know whether or not the championship would have ended with the same result.

When the match was over, Serena went over and hugged Osaka who clearly didn’t know how to react. She didn’t celebrate, there were no outward signs of joy. The tears streaming down her face could be interpreted in many ways. After her first USTA victory at Indian Wells, she gave what she referred to as “the worst victory speech ever” saying little more than “thank you!” Her speech after winning the US Open was a little better but she’ll be getting lots more practice if she keeps improving.

Serena was more gracious during the awards presentation than most would have been. She told the crowd to stop booing, put her arm around Naomi who clearly was self-conscious at the moment. She deferred questions about the umpire and offered praise for her opponent.

A little about Naomi, she was born in Japan to father Leonard “San” Francois of Haitian heritage and his wife Tamaki Osaka from Japan. For practical reasons, Naomi and her sister used her mother’s maiden name while living in Japan. Her previous highest world ranking had been #17 and this victory will vault her into the Top Ten.

One last note about Serena. One white, male, television commentator, suggested the third violation might have been about “her tone.” That he felt a black woman’s “tone” was somehow threatening is a problem. A point Serena made was that men have made far worse with no penalty. John McEnroe is renowned for his tirades against umpires, none of which cost him matches. Serena deserved a penalty for breaking her racquet. The other two calls were totally unnecessary. It’s very possible both racism and sexism entered into Carlos Ramos’s decision-making process. Serena told him he’ll never chair another of her matches and I’m hoping that’s the case.

Written by

Writer, poet, wannabe philosopher. Elsewhere I write about politics, race and social justice at Enigmainblack.wordpress.com. Here… it’s personal!

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade