The way Naomi Osaka handled final vs Serena Williams was admirable -McEnroe
In an interview to the Miami Herald, the former world No. 1 doubles player Patrick McEnroe praised Naomi Osaka's fighting spirit and mentality. The American said: "She has that X factor. She’s genuine, and very refreshing. She has fun on social media, without overdoing it. She gives hilarious speeches and press conferences. She’s fun to watch on the court, has a presence and amazing ball-striking ability that reminds me of Andre Agassi, who with the exact same swing could all of a sudden generate 30 percent more pace out of nowhere. Naomi has that timing and ball striking in addition to her great movement and athleticism. I love watching her play, with her hair flying all over the place. I think she’s a legit No. 1 and she’s here to stay.”
Osaka has both American and Japanese citizenship, but she is set to choose Japan next year when the deadline comes: "I’d love to see the American flag next to her name, but she has a Japanese parent and her family made the decision to go with Japan, which financially was a good decision."
On last year's US Open final between Osaka and Serena Williams, McEnroe concluded: "The way Naomi handled the situation at the U.S. Open was extremely admirable. Here she wins her first major, and it was brutal. But she didn’t win that match because Serena lost it and got a game penalty. She was thoroughly outplaying Serena for a set and a half. She’s got the game and firepower to deal with Serena. Obviously, the pressure will ramp up on her in the next year or so, but it appears to me she’s got the game and persona to handle it.”
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2udj0k4
No comments