Naomi Osaka broke down in tears when asked about her 2018 US Open win vs. Serena, Caroline Garcia revealed on her podcast

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Naomi Osaka defeated Serena Williams in straight sets, 6–2, 6–4, at the 2018 US Open(Image: Getty)

When Naomi Osaka secured her first Grand Slam title at the 2018 US Open, the moment should have been pure celebration. Instead, what many remember most vividly is the controversy that followed – and the weight that a single question many years later still bears.

On the ‘Tennis Insider Club’ podcast, Caroline Garcia recalled how a seemingly simple question about Naomi Osaka’s first Grand Slam victory left the former world No. 1 in tears. Osaka was also put to tears after she faced a crushing defeat the French Open this year.

The incident took place during a recording at Wimbledon, and Garcia says she and her co-hosts weren’t prepared for the emotional reaction. The recording took place before Osaka crumbled against Amanda Anisimova at the 2025 US Open.

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“We asked her a quite basic question about, like, her first win at US Open against Serena, you know, and she started to cry,” Garcia recalled. What the hosts assumed would be a routine reflection instead triggered a memory of one of Osaka’s “tough moments.”

At the heart of that “basic question” lay a complex mix of triumph and trauma. Osaka’s 2018 US Open final win over Serena Williams is etched in tennis history — not just for the result, but for the controversy that swirled around it.

Serena was penalized multiple times, clashed with umpire Carlos Ramos, and argued that the calls were sexist and unfair.

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“I don’t cheat to win. I’d rather lose,” Williams told Ramos after being accused of taking signals from her coach. She demanded an apology, insisting: “I have never cheated in my life.” Later, after calling Ramos a “thief,” she was docked a full game, which sparked further outrage.

Williams argued that men had said worse without facing the same consequences. “For me to say ‘thief’ and for him to take a game, it made me feel like it was a sexist remark. He’s never taken a game from a man because they said ‘thief.’”

At one point, she looked at the umpire and asked, “Because I’m a woman, you’re going to take this away from me?”

The uproar from fans, media, and tennis insiders that followed overwhelmed Osaka, who was just 20 at the time.

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Serena Williams argued with umpire Carlos Ramos during her match against Naomi Osaka(Image: Getty)

Garcia described how, even years later and after becoming a mother, Osaka was still visibly affected by the public reaction. “She was telling us about … reading Twitter after a US Open final, and so she was reading like tough moments … and you could see how much still she was affected by it,” Garcia said.

“You don’t realize how a mean comment and disrespectful things can hurt the person behind the racket. Players are emotional … they’re just human,” Garcia said.

This is not the first time Osaka has been moved to tears in media settings. In 2021, during her first press conference since withdrawing from the French Open, she broke down after a reporter accused her of “using” the media to her benefit.