Posted on 01/26/2019 6:47:22 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Tears fell down Naomi Osaka’s cheeks as she left the court for a comfort break to gear herself up for a third set she had not expected was coming in Saturday’s Australian Open final.
None of us saw that outcome when Osaka held three championship points at 5-3 in the second set. But she was playing Petra Kvitova, the two-time Wimbledon champion who had battled back to the top of the game from a career-threatening injury when a knife-wielding intruder stabbed her playing hand at her home two years ago. Fighting is in Kvitova’s DNA and the Czech fired herself up.
Osaka’s body language had dropped off a cliff and she chided herself for every error – she was staring at a meltdown for the ages.
But the 21-year-old showed she can fight too, and steeled herself for a 7-6 (7-2), 5-7, 6-4 victory at Rod Laver Arena, and there were tears of joy instead of frustration as she sunk to her knees.
What should have been over in 92 minutes went two hours and 27 minutes, but she got there in the end.
If there were any lingering doubts Osaka was not a genuine superstar, that she had somehow fluked her way to a maiden grand slam title in the US Open New York last summer, she made a mockery of them here by showing the mental fortitude of a champion when she could have gone completely off the boil.
“Hello, public speaking isn’t really my strong side, so let’s just see if I can get through this,” said Osaka at the trophy presentation.
“I wrote notes before this but I still forgot the rest of what I was gonna say, so thank you everyone, I’m really honoured to play in this final.”
(Excerpt) Read more at scmp.com ...
She’s half Haitian, Half Japanese.
how long before trannies ruin womens tennis (and other sports)?
I need to research that rene richards dude...
Not good enough. She’s not the black bitch. They will hate her.
No Serena tantrum to rule n her experience this time.
What is the Lambda doing on the platter - a recognition that a lot of pro tennis players are homosexual? Is the nickname of the tournament the Lambda Open?
It’s a capital A, not lambda. A=Australian.
Look at the letter “A” in your post to me. Then look at the letter on the platter. If you can’t see the difference, schedule an appointment with an ophthalmologist on Monday.
Hillary Flammond: Who do you favor in the Virginia Slims tournament?
Blindman: In women's tennis, I always root against the heterosexual.
But we don't get up at 3AM to watch...it's not that important.
It’s a capital A, not lambda. A=Australian.
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It’s a “stylized” (i.e., with the “crossbar” of the letter removed) capital letter A next to a capital letter O for Australian Open. It’s their logo for the Australian Open. They have a giant version of the logo at their tennis park that visitors like to get their pictures taken standing next to.
Osaka has lived in the US since age 3, yet she chooses to play for Japan. It makes one wonder about assimilation and national identity. In contrast, Martina Navratilova became a naturalized American as an adult and then played for the US.
I like Osaka, but I wanted Petra.
When she was attacked by that man(in her own home), she had to grab the knife just to get it off her throat....
and it sliced the hell out of her left hand.
The US tennis powers-that-be were not interested in Osaka when she was a young up-and-comer. Japan was, and gave her the opportunity . When the US woke up to what they were missing, she was already stable and happy in the Japanese tennis world. Our loss, not any disloyalty on Osaka’s part.
“It’s a “stylized” (i.e., with the “crossbar” of the letter removed) capital letter A next to a capital letter O for Australian Open. “
Yes, but I think he has already made clear he’s committed to his craziness.
I like Osaka, but I wanted Petra.
When she was attacked by that man(in her own home), she had to grab the knife just to get it off her throat....
and it sliced the hell out of her left hand.
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Anybody who has hand surgery to fix torn/cut tendons and/or muscles knows it takes a long time and lots of work to recover. It’s amazing that Petra was able to come back and reach the level she has. Props to her for the VERY hard work that it must have taken her.
That’s EXACTLY what happened! She’s a good kid.
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