Writing from a sun lounger in beautiful Estoril, I must admit I have only watched some extended highlights of this most dramatic of encounters.
Alot has been said already here, most of it either ill-advised or mis-informed.
Put simply, Osaka’s quality, steel and maturity last night and all throughout the tournament made her a certain winner in my mind even things went more smoothly last night.
Not for one minute did the game violation prove to be pivotal in Serena’s undoing, she was being outplayed by one of the numerous players on tour who have idolised her for so long.
It was a blistering performance and we can be rightly excited for this new face of the game (barring any of the usual maiden slam syndrome that has halted so many others this last decade).
The Japanese has always been powerful, but her ability to soak up comparable power with such sublime defence is what proved so crucial this fortnight.
It was a performance that demanded so much more respect come the festivities and trophy presentation. The end result was shoddy even for the understandably partisan New York masses.
What of the whole Ramos/Williams debacle then?
Such is my respect for her, at first I sided with Serena, but embark on just a small amount of research and the full picture is not as clear cut.
Ramos has had run-ins with plenty of male players in recent years at majors; Djokovic, Gulbis, Zverev and Rafa have all complained after receiving what they saw as a hasty violation for seemingly minor misdemeanors.
Instead I feel Ramos is merely a stickler for the rulebook and has no time for the more laid-back chummy nature of say a Mohamed Lahyani who attracted equal scorn for a very different style of officiating.
Given the arena, the circumstances and the stage of the match, Ramos could and perhaps should have been more cautious and try warning Serena what would happen next after the first two code violations.
No doubt he regrets now how he handled things and hopefully Serena too is far from proud about playing the gender and race cards all too hastily and without real justification, ensuring the jubilation and history for her opponent would be permanently clouded.
All Things Tennis 