“I wrote my third grade report on Serena Williams” – Naomi Osaka reveals how she was ‘star struck’ by American in childhood

US Open Tennis Tournament 2018 – Source: Getty

The beginning of Naomi Osaka’s admiration for Serena Williams goes way back to her elementary school days. The Japanese player revealed that she was ‘star struck’ by the tennis legend even when she was in the third grade and wrote about her in her class report.

Osaka went on to compete against Williams on four occasions, and holds a dominant 3-1 lead over her. Her most notable victory came when she defeated the 24-time Grand Slam Champion in the final of the 2018 US Open to win her first Major title in straight sets. She went on to win three more Grand Slams after that, making her one of the most prominent WTA icons of this time.

In a candid interview with Jay Shetty on his On Purpose Podcast, she talked about fangirling over Serena Williams since she was a third grader.

“I always get so star struck by her. I wrote my third grade report on her,” said Osaka. “I think the school was asking who is your role model and why is the person your role model and stuff like that. I think I wrote my role model is Serena and then I have cut out a printed photo of her because she is the greatest tennis player of all time and she is an amazing role model figure for me and stuff like that.”

The 27-year-old has always shown her appreciation for both Williams sisters and draws immense inspiration from the duo. Recently, Naomi Osaka was overjoyed at Venus Williams’ return at the 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open, after a long hiatus of 16 months.

Naomi Osaka on 2018 US Open final against Serena Williams

Naomi Osaka reminisced about the night of her first Major win at the 2018 US Open in a 2024 interview with Tennis Insider Club. She was on the receiving end of a lot of criticism when she defeated the home favorite, Serena Williams, in the final.

The Japanese player shed tears after her win and also explained how she saw the criticism online, which affected her immensely.

“After I won my first US Open (2018), I went on social media and the night after I won I was receiving treatment and I was just reading a lot of people saying that I didn’t deserve to win. Oh God! I remember I started crying a lot. And I still think about it a lot,” she said.

However, she further added that she had outgrown the criticism and it didn’t affect her anymore.