On Saturday, Naomi Osaka made history when she won the women’s singles final match against Serena Williams at the 2018 U.S. Open Tennis Championships, held at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City. Even before she'd made it to the finals, she was the talk of the tournament; on the second day, I overheard two journalists talking about her forehand, one of them arguing, "She could kill [Roger] Federer with that shot." It's so impressive, the New York Times dedicated an entire article to the science of how her stroke generates so much power. Spoiler: It clocks in at more than 100 mph — faster than Federer’s forehand, which averages 78 mph.
The 20-year-old, who grew up in New York and Florida, is being celebrated for being the first Japanese woman, and of Haitian descent, to win the U.S. Open title. She’s been called the "next best player in tennis" by the New Yorker.
Her first Grand Slam title, however, came with a much-talked-about controversy: Naomi won because she played a great game, but also because her opponent was slapped with three code-of-conduct violations. The controversial call from umpire Carlos Ramos has started many conversations about how differently athletes are treated when they are women of color, even if one of those women is one of the greatest athletes of all time.
Less than two days after her big win, Naomi, decked out in Adidas, sat down with Teen Vogue for an exclusive post-match interview to talk about why being a professional athlete can be depressing, her intense diet leading up to the tournament, and what it felt like when her idol asked the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium to stop booing.
Teen Vogue: How are you feeling since the match?
Naomi Osaka: I’m not really sure when the match was, and it all happened so fast, but I feel good. I’m kind of sleepy right now, but other than that, I feel good.
TV: There was this really sweet clip of your message to Serena before the match, where you say “I love you” to her. What was it like to go up against her in the finals?
NO: It was really amazing. I was lucky enough to play against her before, but in the finals of a Grand Slam, it feels way more special. Yeah, I think just growing up and watching her play and having the opportunity to play during the finals in Arthur Ashe...I used to live in New York and come here and watch people play. For me to have that opportunity, I was really happy.
TV: Can you describe the pressure you feel during the U.S. Open finals?
NO: For me, I do better in Grand Slams. I like when there’s more people watching. The morning I woke up to play the finals, I was really nervous, and I couldn’t really eat anything at all. So that was a new feeling for me, because normally I don’t get that nervous. Since I knew it was so special, I started freaking out a little bit.
TV: How important is mental health for athletes who are competing on a professional level?
NO: You can easily get depressed. Usually, if you play sports, you think that one match or one game is very important, and when you lose it, you think your whole world is over. I can see how easily that can turn.
TV: When Serena asked the audience to stop booing, it seemed like a moment of solidarity. How did you feel when she did that?
NO: I thought it was really cool when she did that, especially since it was my first final. I know that everyone on the stage, we couldn’t really hear anything because the crowd was so loud, so I was really grateful that she did that.