NEW YORK – For all intents and purposes, Serena Williams stopped being a real threat to win the Grand Slam title in 2020, but carried women’s tennis on her shoulder until she officially retired at the US Open in 2022.
Serious fans realize that her exit did not leave the sport without a compelling athlete. Winning six major titles at the age of 24, Iga Swiatek is on track to finish his career among the greatest ever. Coco Gough has the charisma that sometimes captures the American imagination, even if her games start to fit in. Aryna Sabalenka, who will defend the US open title on Saturday, is a volatile, powerful natural force that is always in the final stages of the Grand Slam.
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But for all the attributes those women bring to the table, what sports have not had since Serena’s departure is a true horn run.
Only one player on the tour really fits that bill.
And while Naomi Osaka’s run at the US Open ended with a 6-3 loss to 24-year-old American Amanda Anishimova, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3), 6-3 early Friday morning, what he achieved in the two weeks of this tournament was perhaps the most important development of Decade for women’s tennis survival.
When Osaka’s career appears to be heading off the cliff, there is a good reason to believe that she can pick up where she left off as the dominant character of the sport in 2021 only if this semi-final loss promotes her ambitions more than stopping her progress.
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“To be honest, I’m not sad,” Osaka said. “It’s really weird. Well, it’s not weird. I feel like I did my best. Honestly, it’s a bit exciting for me.
This loss will undoubtedly be bitter for Osaka to handle in the short term. After winning the opening set against the volatile Anishimoba, she approached the finish line several times, but was unable to pass it. As the match reached the depths of the night, the Osaka levels immersed, and Anishimoba grabbed control and the winner chased the winner from her racket.
It’s a great story in its own right. After losing the Wimbledon Finals 6-0, 6-0 a few months ago, Anishimoba will have the opportunity to bring her amazing summer full circle on Saturday. But just as persuading the product to make the WTA tour appear every week, women’s tennis is not much different from any other sport. Its place in the wider culture depends on personality and the power of the stars. The undefined quality of what we struggle to describe is quickly known when we see it.
Osaka has had it since it first appeared in our lives in 2018. No one else in the female tennis is approaching.
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But that sudden burst of international fame also destroyed Osaka, a shy, sometimes socially troublesome young woman whose life changed almost overnight on two continents. She is not suddenly an American tabloid-level public figure, and in Japan, sports stars often have their own press pools and are expected to become ambassadors of their own countries around the world.
In the summer of 2021, when Osaka was chosen to light the Olympic cauldron, it was all too much. She retreated, became unhappy, increasingly avoiding the media, collapsed under the weight of her own demand for perfection.
Osaka’s Naomi, seen at the opening ceremony of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, has been out of the public’s eyes in recent years due to her personal struggle. (Photo by Hannah McKay/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
(Hanna McKay via Getty Images)
Since losing early in that Olympic tournament, Osaka has experienced mental health breaks, two comeback attempts, the birth of a daughter and a public breakup with rapper Coda.
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At the time, it seemed like they couldn’t stop Osaka. The crossover tennis freight train and marketing machines appeal to hardcore tennis fans and Fringe fans who have been tuned exclusively to Williams.
Osaka was the only person who could hold Serena’s audience after she left the scene. And that’s why when Osaka disappeared at the same time it hit the WTA Tour, an organization that has endured a huge financial burden since 2020.
Since then, women’s tennis had essentially amortized Osaka as a bankable and consistent draw. She showed flashes of old shapes in 2024 and 2025, but if she wins a tournament and goes deep into the Grand Slam, she can fill that role at the top of the marquee.
Osaka did not do any of these. She appears faithfully in the event, wins rounds or two, and is beaten by a player who would have had little chance against her a few years ago.
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At one point, it seemed stupid to expect the old Osaka to return.
Well, suddenly, there is hope again. And it all happened in two tournaments.
“She’s back to where she belongs,” Anishimova said in an on-court interview after the game. “I told her that after giving birth to a baby and playing at this level, I was very proud of her. That’s insane.”
In so many ways, Osaka, which we saw at Us Open, is the same player that worshiped millions of fans around the world. An adorable postgame interview featuring fierce blows from the baseline, fashion sense and her love doll.
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But in other ways, she’s a completely different person. A happy presence, a more comfortable celebrity, and a mother.
Above all, she loves sports again. As she said after Wednesday’s quarterfinals, she loves it more than she knew. Hopefully it’s enough to maintain her level of heart and motivates her through the disappointment of escaping this semi-final.
This run may be the beginning of the next phase due to Osaka’s huge God-given ability to hit tennis balls. Just making the semi-finals, she returned to where she belonged. And whether Anishimoba or Sabalenka returns home with the trophy, Osaka’s presence in the Championship mix has made women’s tennis the biggest winner of all.
