Serena WilliamsdefeatedNaomi Osakain a Rogers Cup quarterfinal match on Friday, almost a year aftertheir controversial matchat the U.S. Open in September 2018.
The match marked the first time the two had played against each other since Williams' defeat in the U.S. Open final, according to theNew York Times. Williams, 37, beat Osaka 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the semifinals of the Rogers Cup.
“I knew her game a little bit more, so that’s a little easier,” Williams said after the match, according to theTimes. “And, you know, I’m just overall a little bit better.”
Meanwhile, Osaka, 21, explained that Williams “is someone that I looked up to forever.”
v"So in a weird way, losing today I accomplished my dream," she said, according toCNN. “I know that sounds kind of weird, but, you know, if there’s anyone in the world that I would want to lose to — of course, I would never want to lose — but I don’t mind losing to her because I learned a lot.”
Serena Williams.WARREN TODA/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
In July, Williams opened up about the controversial match in a first-person essay inHarper’s Bazaar,revealing thatshe had sent Osaka an apology letter after the match.
“In the end, my opponent simply played better than me that day and ended up winning her first Grand Slam title,” Williams said. “I thought back to my first Grand Slam. It’s the one you remember best; it’s supposed to be the most special. This debacle ruined something that should have been amazing and historic.”
In her letter, Williams told Osaka, “I am so proud of you and I am truly sorry.”
“I thought I was doing the right thing in sticking up for myself,” the athlete said she wrote in the letter. “But I had no idea the media would pit us against each other. I would love the chance to live that moment over again. I am, was, and will always be happy for you and supportive of you. I would never, ever want the light to shine away from another female, specifically another black female athlete. I can’t wait for your future, and believe me I will always be watching as a big fan! I wish you only success today and in the future.”
Naomi Osaka.WARREN TODA/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Williams said that “tears rolled down” her face when she received Osaka’s response to her letter.
“‘People can misunderstand anger for strength because they can’t differentiate between the two … No one has stood up for themselves the way you have and you need to continue trailblazing,'” Williams said Osaka wrote.
Themother of onethen wrote that the U.S. Open match “exemplified how thousands of women in every area of the workforce are treated every day.”
“We are not allowed to have emotions, we are not allowed to be passionate,” Williams said. “We are told to sit down and be quiet, which frankly is just not something I’m okay with. It’s shameful that our society penalizes women just for being themselves.”
WARREN TODA/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
The tennis starshared a similar sentimentin an April interview withBusiness of Fashion.
“For me, being a perfectionist and being a professional, it would be impossible not to wish I didn’t handle a lot of situations differently, even that particular situation,” she shared at the time. “So, absolutely. However, I have to tell myself, because of my daughter, that I should be able to have any emotion that any man can have.”
“It’s about teaching our new generation that everyone should be treated the same,” she said.
source: people.com
