Serena Williams loss to Naomi Osaka was more than just a game

Serena Williams has won 23 grand slam singles titles. At 39 years old the only thing that stood in Williams’ way at another Australian Open Finals was Naomi Osaka. Williams, along with the rest of the tennis community, is uncertain about the future of her career.

The last time Serena Williams faced off against Naomi Osaka was in 2018 when she was penalized for a rules dispute that caught the attention of women around the world fighting for equality.

Williams had an emotional postgame press conference where she wasn’t able to finish the interview. She left early after tearing up, as a result of a series of emotional questions pointing to why she lost the match. Initially, Serena Williams said that she lost because of “unforced errors” and she “made easy mistakes.” As a competitor no athlete is every happy when they lose, and reporters should not be trying to nit-pick the mistakes to try to make a better story.

Williams has been under constant pressure to win all the time, and has risen to the occasion multiple times. Naomi Osaka might be emerging as the new face of women’s tennis, but until the day Serena Williams retires there will be no one in that sport that will draw a bigger crowd.

Serena Williams is the undisputed GOAT (greatest of all time) in women’s tennis and has a strong case for the GOAT of all sports. I wish Serena the best of luck whether this was Serena’s final match or not. This loss for Serena Williams will not tarnish her legacy at all, nobody is perfect and we can’t expect Williams to be perfect either.