New York (SID) – For four-time Grand Slam winner Naomi Osaka (24), Serena Williams has done more in tennis than all men’s superstars. “Honestly, she’s the strongest force in this sport. That shouldn’t make (Roger) Federer or (Rafael) Nadal any smaller. I just think she’s the greatest thing there will ever be in this sport,” Osaka said ahead of the start of the US Open, where Williams is expected to bid farewell.
The American has “changed her sport so much. She brought the sport closer to people who had never heard of tennis. I’m a product of what she did. I wouldn’t be here without Serena, Venus and the whole family . I’m very grateful to her for that,” said Osaka, who won her first Grand Slam title by beating Williams in the 2018 final in New York.
Just seeing the 23-time major winner play is “really an honor. It gives us another chance to watch her,” Osaka said before Williams’ probably last tournament. The 40-year-old, who meets Danka Kovinic from Montenegro in the first round on Tuesday night (1 a.m. CEST / Eurosport), had announced that she was leaving the tour to take more care of her family and her company.
