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This U.S. Open Moment Between Naomi Osaka and Cori 'Coco' Gauff Is the Definition of Sisterhood


On Saturday, August 31, Naomi Osaka and Cori “Coco” Gauff faced off in the final round of the U.S. Open for a thrilling match between the two athletes who have been dubbed “the future of women’s tennis.” But in the end, Osaka prevailed over Gauff, beating her 6-3 6-0—and as soon as she won the match point, the two athletes met at the net, exchanged a few words and hugged. But then something downright pure happened—and it’s pretty much the definition of what sisterhood is about.

As a teary-eyed Gauff gathered her belongings, Osaka approached her and asked her to join her for the post-match interview, which is usually reserved for the winning player. Though the 15-year-old initially declined the offer, Osaka assured her that it was OK to cry and encouraged her to seize the opportunity to address the crowd who came to see her.
“These people are here for you,” she told Gauff. “I think it’s better than going into the shower and crying. We have to let these people know how you feel.”

Chaz Niell/Getty images

Check it the moment for yourself in the video, below:

It was very similar to when Serena Williams comforted Osaka following the U.S. Open final last year. After Osaka defeated her idol Williams, the veteran tennis star defended her opponent against an upset crowd.



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Naomi Osaka Just Won a Second Grand Slam Title—and Becomes Tennis's No. 1 Female Player


You might remember Naomi Osaka from last year’s controversial U.S. Open final: The Japanese-born 21-year-old tennis pro beat her longtime idol Serena Williams and accepted her trophy amid boos from audience members, who felt Williams had been unfairly penalized by a ref. It was a tough moment for Osaka—but she just asserted herself again by securing a second Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.

Osaka, who plays for Japan, showed that she’s a force to be reckoned with by edging out Czech player Petra Kvitova on Saturday. She’d lost her second set during the match but rallied and wound up finishing strong. Her victory means she’ll move up in the rankings to become No. 1, making her the first Asian player of any gender to hold that spot.

“I felt like I didn’t want to have any regrets,” Osaka said. “I think if I didn’t regroup after the second set, then I would have looked back on this match and probably cried or something.”

Now, Osaka has made history. She’s also proved her staying power after the contentious match she played against Williams, which was so intense that Osaka publicly burst into tears and, in a heartbreaking moment, apologized to the booing crowd. Despite the difficulty of the moment, Osaka revealed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that Williams, who directed the audience to stop jeering, had also whispered some encouraging words in her ear after they’d played.

“She said that she was proud of me and that I should know that the crowd wasn’t booing at me,” Osaka said. “So I was really happy with what she said. At the time, I did kind of think they were booing at me. I couldn’t tell what was going on because it was just so loud in there, so it was a little bit stressful.”

No such booing overshadowed her victory at the Australian Open today. Congrats to Osaka—and her new No. 1 ranking.

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Naomi Osaka Explains Why She Apologized While Accepting Her U.S. Open Trophy


On Saturday (September 8), after an incredible whirlwind journey through the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Naomi Osaka took home her first Grand Slam championship trophy by defeating her idol, Serena Williams, in two sets. The 20-year-old’s victory was somewhat tainted, however, by the controversy that arose between Williams and the presiding umpire during the match, which resulted in Williams automatically losing first one point and then an entire game in the second set (punishments that Williams promptly labeled sexist. While receiving her trophy after the match, Osaka was visibly upset and, during her acceptance speech, apologized to the crowd. In an interview with the Today show on Monday morning (September 10), the athlete discussed the controversial match and her ensuing reactions.

Osaka said that, as Williams’ penalties rolled in, she wasn’t entirely sure what was happening. “I didn’t really know what was going on because I went to the back and I had my back turned. And then, before I knew it, she was saying there was a game penalty, so I was a little bit confused throughout the whole thing,” she said. The confusion continued as the match ended and the crowd began booing, presumably at umpire Carlos Ramos. “I felt a little bit sad because I wasn’t really sure if they were booing at me or if it wasn’t the outcome that they wanted,” Osaka said, explaining why she’d pulled her visor over her face to hide her tears as the crowd jeered. “And then I also could sympathize because I’ve been a fan of Serena my whole life and I knew how badly the crowd wanted her to win.” She added, “It was just really emotional.”

Seeing Osaka’s tears during the awards ceremony,Williams put her arm around her opponent and used her turn at the microphone to ask the crowd to celebrate Osaka’s win, rather than decrying her loss, which Osaka said on Monday “made me happy overall.” When it was her time to address the audience, according to The New York Times, Osaka said, “I know that everyone was cheering for her. I’m sorry it had to end like this. I just want to say thank you for watching the match.” When asked on the Today show why she apologized, Osaka explained, “I don’t know, I just felt like everyone was sort of unhappy up there and I know that the ending wasn’t really how people wanted it to be. I know that, in my dreams, I won, like, in a very tough, competitive match. So, I don’t know, I just felt very emotional and I felt like I had to apologize.”

Osaka also noted that, in the wake of her big win, she hasn’t had time to review what happened during the match and come to her own conclusion about what went down between Williams and the umpire, but that she plans to do so as soon as possible. “This is sort of one of the biggest things that happened to me,” she said. And she’s also having some trouble processing that other pretty big thing that happened on Saturday — you know, becoming the first-ever Japanese tennis player to win a Grand Slam title. “It still feels a little bit surreal, but I think it’s slowly sinking in,” she told Today.

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At the U.S. Open, Serena Williams Demanded the Apology All Black Women Deserve



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