No doubt you’re aware of the cast of players professional sports analysts have heralded as the heir apparent to Serena Williams. One-slam wonders like Sloane Stephens, Ana Ivanovic, and Ashley Barty feature most prominently among them.
But here is how I heralded Naomi Osaka over two years ago in “US Open: Serena’s Upset with Umpire Overshadowed Naomi’s Upset of Her,” September 9, 2018:
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One has to wonder if Naomi Osaka is the second coming of Serena Williams, who will dominate the game for the next decade or more; or if she’s just another one-slam wonder, like Sloane Stephens, who will soon fade away.
I think Naomi is the former, and I look forward to watching her surpass Serena.
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That’s why this came as no surprise:
There’s little doubt Naomi Osaka [of Japan] is the new queen of women’s hard-court tennis after crushing Jennifer Brady [of the USA] 6-4, 6-3 in the Australian Open final and taking her overall Grand Slam titles tally to four.
The world No. 3 (No. 2 when rankings get updated) has now won twice at Melbourne Park, along with her two wins at the US Open.
(ESPN, February 20, 2021)
Meanwhile, Osaka is vindicating my coronation of her as the new face of women’s tennis by using her platform to lead social causes. This, instead of merely following them from the sidelines, the way Serena did.
Here, for example, is the way I commended Osaka in this respect in “Hail, Naomi! US Open Champion (Again)…and Serena’s Heir,” September 15, 2020:
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I am especially impressed that Naomi seems determined to defy the (white) sensibilities that prevail in her sport. After all, with the notable exception of founder Billie Jean King, I’m sure the officers of the WTA would really like it if Naomi would just shut up about racial justice and play ball.
So kudos to her for being in the vanguard of professional athletes championing the BLM cause. Never mind this irony of ironies:
- Covid-19 protocols forced Naomi to keep her mouth shut on this, the biggest of all international stages in women’s tennis.
Mind you, she was probably fine with this because she describes her voice as the most awkward in tennis. And, if you ever hear her timid, nasal, barely-audible baby voice, you’ll agree.
As it happened, though, this only provided Naomi another opportunity to display her unconquerable will. Because she found what might have been an even more poignant way to champion this cause. She had the name of a martyred victim of police brutality emblazoned on the mask she wore for each of her seven matches.
This forced TV commentators and viewers around the world to do as BLM protesters continually demand: say their names: Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, Ahmaud Arbery, Trayvon Martin, George Floyd, Philando Castile, Tamir Rice.
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My only regret is that Osaka was the one who had to dash Serena’s forlorn quest to equal Margaret Court’s record of 24 grand slam titles yet again. Because, just as it was when Larry Holmes had to beat up Muhammad Ali, it’s obvious that Osaka idolizes Serena so much that she regrets every second it takes to beat her.
I just hope she has the good sense to retire before she ends up like Venus. She should have emulated Steffi and retired after losing that second chance at 24. The writing was clearly on the wall.
(“Hail, Naomi! US Open Champion (Again)…and Serena’s Heir,” The iPINIONS Journal, September 15, 2020)
Indeed, if tournament organizers have any regard for Serena’s unprecedented and unparalleled contributions to women’s tennis, they would make sure these two women are never seeded on the same side of the draw at any grand slam again for as long as Serena continues to play.
That said, iPINIONS couldn’t have been less interested in the men’s side of this tournament. I do not watch men’s tennis. I find it almost as boring as watching golf without Tiger Woods. But I read that Novak Djokovic of Serbia demolished Daniil Medvedev of Russia 7-5,6-2,6-2.
Unfortunately, reports indicate that Djokovic’s play down under was overshadowed by the diva demands he made as de-facto agent for all players who were subjected to quarantine before the tournament got underway.
Related commentaries:
hail, Naomi…
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