Naomi Osaka’s new biography, written by journalist Ben Rothenberg, has made some surprising claims about the aftermath of her 2018 US Open final win against Serena Williams.
While both players were very close in the rankings heading into the match, Williams, with experience of 30 Grand Slam finals, was the overwhelming favorite against the then-first-time Major finalist Osaka.
Osaka, however, rose to the occasion and registered a dominant win. She needed just 79 minutes to wrap up the 6-2, 6-4 victory at the Arthur Ashe Stadium and become Japan’s first Major singles champion.
Williams, on the other hand, fell one win short of two records: tying Margaret Court’s all-time Grand Slam title record and becoming the first mom to win a Major since Kim Clijsters in 2011.
While Osaka looked calm and composed that night in New York, Williams allegedly let her emotions get the best of her. During the match, she incurred a point penalty after receiving a coaching violation and breaking a racquet.
The 23-time Major winner then got a code violation for verbal abuse, which triggered an automatic game penalty. After the match, Williams spoke about trying to remain positive and move forward.
“I don’t know how I’m feeling yet. Haven’t had time to really process everything. But I’m just trying to stay positive and to look at all the bright things and all the good things and just keep going forward with that,” she said during the trophy presentation.
In Osaka’s new biography, titled ‘Naomi Osaka: Her Journey to Finding Her Power and Her Voice’, journalist Rothenberg has stated that Williams remained angry after going back to the locker room and also threw the runner-up trophy in the dustbin.
“Once she was behind closed doors, Serena made her feelings about the relic of her loss clear, dumping the platter into a trash can,” he said in the book. (via Tennis Channel)
He has also stated that when someone attempted to retrieve the trophy and give it to her, Williams refused to take it back, saying:
“I. Don’t. Play. For. Second. Place.”
“Serena Williams never has kept her runner-up trophies” – Agent Jill Smoller
Serena Williams’ disdain for runner-up trophies has been well-documented over the years.
Her agent Jill Smoller once stated that coming second has always been unacceptable to the tennis great. She added that since Williams does not like being reminded of all the finals she lost, a lot of her runner-up trophies have ended up in her office.
“Winning is always the most important thing for her. There is not a lot of gray with Serena Williams; she understands winning and losing and second place is not acceptable. I have a lot of runner-up trophies in my office underneath in cabinets; she never has kept her runner-up trophies. She’s always felt like ‘why do I want to be reminded that I wasn’t the best?” Smoller said on an episode of The GOAT: Serena podcast.
Williams has also been vocal about her feelings for coming second. During a tour of her home with Architectural Digest in 2021, she spotted a Grand Slam runner-up plaque in her trophy room and joked:
“Yeah I see a second place trophy but I’m gonna put that one in the trash, it shouldn’t be in there. We don’t keep second place.”
