Tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg’s recent mocking of Serena Williams’ loss to Naomi Osaka at the 2021 Australian Open has angered fans across the internet.
Osaka defeated Williams in straight sets in the 2021 Melbourne Major semi-finals, her third victory over the American. Osaka then defeated Jennifer Brady in the final to lift her fourth career Grand Slam trophy.
This was the fourth and final meeting between the two, with Williams retiring from the sport in September 2022. Osaka ended up going 3-1, including her 2018 U.S. Open final victory.
Journalist and author Ben Rothenberg claims the Happy Slam was the final straw for Serena Williams to win more Grand Slam titles.
“This series of events effectively ends Serena’s decades-long status as a Grand Slam title contender,” Rothenberg wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Rotenberg also published excerpts of similar assertions in his forthcoming biography of Naomi Osaka. His remarks met with strong opposition from X fans, with one fan saying:
“Bullshit. Even so, Serena is still a talking point more than a year after retiring.”
Another fan also chimed in:
“It’s crazy to claim that Naomi Osaka is responsible for the end of Serena’s career”
A third fan blamed Serena Williams’ loss on her hamstring injury at Wimbledon 2021.
“I mean, the reason her run at the Grand Slams ended was because she got injured at Wimbledon…but I guess whatever sells books,” the fan wrote on Twitter.
Here are more reactions from X:
Naomi Osaka ‘nervous’ and hoping to ‘win’ in tennis comeback
After 15 months away from tennis, Naomi Osaka has been preparing for her return to the tennis court. She is scheduled to face Tamara Korpatsch at the 2024 Brisbane International on Monday, January 1.
The former world number one admitted to feeling nervous during his pre-match press conference in Australia.
“I definitely feel nervous, I haven’t competed in a long time, but I’m very competitive, so I guess I’m nervous and I want to win. There’s a lot of things going on in my head,” Osaka said .
Osaka further said:
“I think the biggest thing is just getting on the court and soaking up all the energy and experiencing the atmosphere, which is something I will definitely treasure,” she added.
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