Naomi Osaka has revealed what Serena Williams whispered to her during the presentation ceremony at the US open last week (pictured)
Naomi Osaka has revealed she had no idea what was going on between Serena Williams and the referee in her grand final at the US Open on Saturday.
Osaka, 20, told The Ellen Show she was taught not to pay attention if her opponent got angry, so she could stay focused.
‘I was looking away, but I heard a lot of people in the crowd making noises, and I really wanted to turn around, but I didn’t,’ she said.
She revealed despite having beaten the former world champion, Williams was quick to comfort her among the jeers of the crowd echoing through the arena as she received her trophy.
‘[Williams] said she was proud of me, and that I should know the crowd isn’t booing at me,’ Osaka said.
‘I was really happy she said that.’
The Japanese player said she thought the jeers were directed at her, and began to get a bit overwhelmed by the situation, having missed Williams’s argument with the umpire.
Williams was fined $17,000 after losing a point and a game for various code violations.
She first erupted at umpire Carlos Ramos after being given a code violation for coaching, after her coach Patrick Mouratoglou was spotted giving hand signals in the first set – which is against the rules.
In the second set, she slammed her racket into the ground when broken back for 3-2, after which she was given a point penalty.
She repeatedly insulted the umpire, calling him a liar and a thief and demanding an apology for her cheating violation, leading him to issue a third code violation, which saw a game awarded to Osaka.
At this point, the score was 3-5 and Williams could not recover, and Osaka won the game.
The Japanese player won $3.8million, and told Ellen while she did not own a car, she would prefer to spend her prize money on her parents.
Serena Williams blew up at US Women’s Final umpire Carlos Ramos during Saturday’s final, but her opponent Naomi Osaka says she didn’t hear any of it
Williams (left) lost a game and a point through a multitude of code violations, allowing Naomi Osaka (right) to take out her first grand slam with ease