“It was a terrible day for us” – Serena Williams’ former coach revisits Naomi Osaka’s controversial US Open 2018 win amid “all the drama”
“It was a terrible day for us” – Serena Williams’ former coach revisits Naomi Osaka’s controversial US Open 2018 win amid “all the drama”
By
Neelabhra Roy
Modified Sep 14, 2024 14:58 GMT
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Serena Williams’ former coach Patrick Mouratoglou has recently opened up about the controversial incident that took place during the 2018 US Open final between the American and Naomi Osaka. Williams had an argument with the chair umpire Carlos Ramos over a warning she was given due to coaching.
Osaka started the match brilliantly and won the first set 6-2. During the second set, Williams’ coach at the time, Patrick Mouratoglou, gave a “thumbs up” gesture to her. Chair umpire Carlos Ramos subsequently gave her a warning for coaching.Serena Williams was angered by this and berated Ramos several times during the set, demanding an apology from him while persistently insisting that she was never coached. The situation escalated further and the American was later given a game penalty for verbal abuse.
After this, tournament officials came in and a tearful Williams kept insisting her penalty was unfair. Naomi Osaka eventually went on to win the match 6-2, 6-4 to win her maiden Grand Slam title.Serena Williams’ former coach Patrick Mouratoglou spoke about the incident in a conversation with Nick Kyrgios on the Aussie’s podcast “Good Trouble with Nick Kyrgios”. The Frenchman said that Naomi Osaka had a bittersweet day due to all the drama.
“It was a terrible day for us because of all the drama around the US Open final. It was a bad day, a bittersweet day for Naomi (Osaka) because her first Grand Slam, but there was such a drama. So I think it was not an ideal first Grand Slam for Naomi. For us, it was really painful and we had a lot of bad press,” Mouratoglou said (10:42)
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Williams’ former coach also said that the incident was good for tennis because it had drama, which he thought was needed in order to draw more attention to the sport. He added that the incident also helped bring in a change of rules regarding coaching.
“But I think it was a good thing for two reasons. First of all,the drama was so big because it was a Grand Slam final and it was Serena. All the media all around the world, even media that weren’t sports media, were talking about tennis. So, for tennis it was a great day, and I think we need drama to just draw more attention to the game.
“Second, I think it participated into the discussion to change the rule. I think the rule had to change because, maybe you were not using it, but most of the players were getting so much coached in every single match,” he added.
The rules regarding coaching during matches have changed and players can now have limited interactions with their coaches during points.
Serena Williams has a negative head-to-head record against Naomi Osaka
Serena Williams (R) and Naomi Osaka after their match at the 2021 Australian Open
Serena Williams (R) and Naomi Osaka after their match at the 2021 Australian Open
Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka have locked horns four times so far, with the Japanese coming out on top thrice.
The first encounter between the two came in the opening round of the Miami Open, with Osaka winning 6-3, 6-2. The US Open final in 2018 was the second encounter between the two.Serena Williams’ only victory over Naomi Osaka came in the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open, winning 6-3, 6-4. The last meeting between the two came in the semifinals of the Australian Open in 2021. This time, the Japanese won 6-3, 6-4 to reach the final. Here, she beat Jennifer Brady to win her fourth and final Grand Slam title to date.
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