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Amid this never-ending pandemic and 12 months of scattered and disconnected tennis, there has been a constant vision: Naomi Osaka displaying her greatness under suffocating pressure. He is already a star whose profile is in the process of transcending his sport but, more importantly, he has the résumé to back it up and continues to grow. In tight and passionate competition that saw her fight and then skyrocket, the Japanese became a four-time Grand Slam champion at age 23 by beating Jennifer Brady 6-4, 6-3 to win her second Australian Open.
The accomplishments it has made in the process are amazing. Osaka is now the first woman to win the first four Grand Slam finals of her career since Monica Seles in 1991. She is the seventh woman in the Open era to save match points on her way to the Australian Open title, after his fourth round finale. -Returned against Garbiñe Muguruza 3-5, 15-40, in which he saved the first match point with an ace of 119 mph and scored zero unforced errors in the last 22 points.
Who knows if he even remembers what it feels like to lose, that’s a feeling he hasn’t experienced in over a year, in 21 consecutive wins. Before that, two bad losses, including one against 15-year-old Coco Gauff at this very tournament, forced her to re-evaluate her entire approach to the sport. Consider it a job well done. Osaka is now 33-2 (94%) in hard court Grand Slams since 2018, winning four of the last six titles.
These have already been the defining months of Osaka’s career as she cemented her place at the top of the sport and learned the power of her voice while speaking out against racism and police brutality. Although she will only rise from number 3 to number 2 thanks to the temporary alterations of the ranking during the pandemic, now it can be said with certainty: she is once again the best player in the world.
In previous Osaka Grand Slam Finals, she faced three multiple Grand Slam champions, so she wondered before this match how she would handle pressure as a clear favorite. At first, well, it was complicated. From 3-1 up, Osaka suddenly looked fragile. She began to catch her pitch in the wind and her first services flew past the service line. In fact, it was Brady who dictated the most demonstrations. As seed number 22 radiated energy and verve, a series of crucial games began that she led but was unable to close.
At 3-3 with Osaka’s serve, the American forced her to 15-30 before Osaka secured two consecutive serve winners. Brady then created a break point at 4-4, 30-40 after a wonderful one-handed backhand winner. Osaka saved the break point with a bold cross forehand winner and then did just enough to hold serve. Brady then led 40-15 with 4-5 on serve before dropping four straight points to concede the set. And that was it. On bleeding errors, Osaka won five games in a row and never looked back. The sequence reflected a common trait of great champions: the opportunities they offer are limited and any opponent who does not take advantage of them will pay.
Regardless of the outcome, reaching the final remains a remarkable achievement for Brady. While most of her rivals spent their quarantine period in Australia training every day while calmly maintaining their form and fitness, she didn’t see beyond the walls of her hotel room for two weeks. However, he stayed there on the last day, fighting for his first blow. “I did my first Grand Slam final so maybe if I hadn’t been in quarantine I would have won,” he joked later. “Maybe.”
With each new Osaka hit, it’s very hard not to go back to the same thought – you’ve accomplished so much already, but it seems you haven’t scratched the surface of your potential yet. Osaka still needs time to get more comfortable on grass and clay courts. He has shown such a willingness to face his weaknesses that he will inevitably accept more net games and savvy shots over time. She now has four Grand Slam titles, but only three WTA titles, which is unprecedented and quite absurd. She is determined to rectify that regularly throughout the year.
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As he relaxed after his victory, sipping a sip of champagne and feeling the familiar sensation of finishing a race on top, Osaka was asked what else he wants from the sport beyond trophies and success: “I feel like the The biggest thing I want to achieve is: this is going to sound really strange, but I hope I play long enough to play a girl who said I was once her favorite player, ”she replied. From the way he has run his career thus far, there is an army of them to come.
