Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka has admitted that the memory of 2018 US Open final is a little bit bittersweet for her and definitely not a happy one.
The 20-year-old had stunned American tennis ace, Serena Williams, to lift her maiden Grand Slam title in New York. However, the final of the fourth major of the season was marred by controversy as Williams had lashed out at chair umpire Carlos Ramos for handing over code violation warnings to her.
"The memory of the US Open is a little bit bittersweet. Like right after, the day after, I really didn't want to think about it because it wasn't necessarily the happiest memory for me," the official website of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) quoted Osaka, as saying.
"I don't know. I just sort of wanted to move on at that point," she added.
Reflecting further on the controversial final, Osaka said that it is like eating green tea ice-cream-sweet but strong, adding that she is still trying to move over from that match.
"When you bite into it, it's sweet but also very strong. That's how that memory feels to me. I mean, of course, I'm happy that I won a Grand Slam. I don't think there's anything that can take away from that. But I don't know," Osaka said.
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"I feel like not that when I look back on it that it's a bad memory, but I feel like it was so strange; I just didn't want to think about it. I wanted to just push it to the side. I'm still trying to take my mind off of it a little bit. I guess hopefully I can do well here, too," she added.
Osaka is currently appearing in 2018 China Open and has made it to the second round of the tournament. She will now take on Danielle Rose Collins of America in her round-of-32 clash on Tuesday.