As painful as it was for Serena Williams’s fans to watch her straight-set loss to Naomi Osaka at the Australian Open, watching her post-match press conference may have been even more so. She said not a single word about her opponent – who played brilliantly, handling even her fearsome serves – and at one point had the audacity to say that she could have been up 5-0 in the first set (she lost it 6-3). It is hard to imagine past champions, in the twilight of their careers, sulking through a post-match press conference and then tearfully getting up and leaving in the middle of it. Ashe? Evert? Sampras? Graff? Impossible.
Williams, now 39 years old, has had a phenomenal career. Of course it was disappointing for her to once again fail to win her 24th Grand Slam singles title, tying Margaret Court. But that press conference would have been the perfect occasion at which to graciously acknowledge that the torch has been passed to the next generation (Osaka is 23). Admittedly, this is not an easy thing for athletes to do, but in Williams’s case it should be a bit easier owing to the fact that, as everyone knows, it’s her torch that is being passed. Osaka clearly, admittedly, learned her power game by watching Williams, and is now the finest player on the WTA tour. In a refreshing turn for tennis, she combines her power on the court with poise and grace off it.
