Naomi Osaka calls playing Serena Williams a dream

It was a strong performance from Osaka who defeated her idol in straight sets to reach another Australian Open final.

It was a strong match that lived up to the expectation and it saw Naomi Osaka defeat Serena Williams for the 3rd time in four meetings. With this win, the Japanese player advanced to the final where she will try to win another Grand Slam trophy. After the match Osaka spoke about the honour of playing Serena:

“I think honestly for me it’s always an honour to play her and I just don’t want to go out really bad so I just wanted to try my best. I was a little kid watching her play. Just to be on the court playing her is a dream.”

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It didn't go as smoothly as the result might suggest as Osaka was very nervous at the start which she admitted after the match:

“I think I just hit a lot of unforced errors in the first few games. I was just really nervous and scared in the beginning and then I sort of eased my way into it. For me, I think the biggest thing is just having fun and it’s the first day having the crowd in a while.”

As per usual when she faces Williams Osaka honoured her with three bows at the net, which is a Japanese nod of respect which Osaka feels for her idol. It was a very poetic moment that one might see as a 'passing the torch' moment from Serena to Naomi.

Check out the full post-match press conference below: