With a first-round upset against both older sisters at the US Open on Saturday, Naomi Osaka became the first first-time player since 1950 to take the doubles title with a victory over Serena and Venus. And as the Williams sisters were also eliminated in the women’s singles finals, the 2016 Australian Open runner-up said she felt she had something to prove.
“They’re both like one of my best friends,” Osaka said. “They’re my sisters and it means a lot to me to play them.”
However, Osaka, who won with Osaka Camila Giorgi of Italy, isn’t sure she’ll be able to meet with the sisters in person for a congratulatory phone call in the immediate future.
“Yeah, I think I will have to wait a little bit. I mean I think that I’ve met them before and I met Venus before,” she said. “I’d be lucky to talk to them. But I’m just thankful to have met them.”
In order to get the chance to defend her title, Osaka will have to win the U.S. Open and reach the final in New York next week, if she’s to be afforded the opportunity to meet with her favorite players in person.
“I don’t know. I can’t talk to them. It’s awkward,” she said. “I’m lucky to meet them in the past.”