Serena Williams is fighting to keep pace with new age blasters

Naomi Osaka will attempt to win her fourth grand slam title from as many appearances in a final when she plays maiden major finalist Jennifer Brady on Saturday night in Melbourne

Naomi Osaka’s backhand was a powerful weapon against Serena Williams Picture: Getty Images

Had Serena Williams been granted even a moment to pause as she watched Naomi Osaka whiz another winner past her, the American might have considered the passage of her own remarkable career.

It is now more than 20 years since Williams began doing to rivals exactly what Osaka did to her on Rod Laver Arena. She was rendered helpless at times on Thursday by her rival’s power and precision.

The speed of shot is not everything in tennis. Trajectory matters, so too court positioning along with control and placement. After a nervous start, Osaka harnessed all her abilities in her 6-3 6-4 triumph.

She left the 39-year-old looking every bit her age and the manner of the defeat probably contributed to the emotion Williams displayed in the post-match media conference.

Against Simona Halep on Tuesday night, the 23-time major champion was able to dictate play, blasting returns at a pace that left the fleet-footed Romanian struggling to keep up.

But the disparity in speed in the semi-final between the seven-time Australian Open and Osaka was more pronounced.

During the second set, ESPN displayed a graphic which explained why Williams was left stranded as so many balls raced past her racquet.

Osaka was averaging 120kmh on her forehands and almost 132kmh off her backhand wing, the shot from which seven of her 14 winners for the match came.

The American, whose power ushered in a new era for women’s tennis, could only muster an average of about 110kmh off both wings.

The legend is struggling, albeit mightily, to keep pace. It is now four years since Williams last claimed a major title.

It’s folly to dismiss the champion as a force in women’s tennis. Her record in the 11 majors she has played since returning as a mother is strong by the standards of almost every player other than her own.

In that time the right-hander has reached four finals and another two semi-finals.

But title number 24, the one which would draw her level with Margaret Court on the all-time list, remains elusive.

It is by far the longest stretch between major titles for Williams dating back to her breakthrough in New York back in 1999 as a 17-year-old when she started making rivals look slow.

Not long after being asked as to how she would farewell the sport after her loss, Williams began crying and left the press conference room.

Osaka, who has now convincingly beaten her in three of her four clashes, grew up aspiring to be a player like Williams.

She has a long way to go to match her deeds. But Osaka clearly has the better of her now.

When asked what it meant to play Williams, given there was “no telling how much longer” she will play, Osaka lamented the champion’s looming retirement.

“I don’t know. It’s kind of sad when you say it like that because for me, I want her to play forever. That’s the little kid in me,” she said, before trailing off.

Osaka is the present and has an opportunity to add to her stunning record in grand slam finals when she plays American Jennifer Brady in Saturday’s decider.

Brady, who is a doubles partner of Ash Barty, showed tremendous nerve at the end of her 6-4 3-6 6-4 semi-final triumph over Karolina Muchova, who ousted Barty on Tuesday.

It has been a stellar tournament for the UCLA graduate who has defied the hard quarantine issues that brought down so many others.

The 25-year-old, who defeated Barty in the opening round of a tournament in Brisbane last year, possesses a tremendous all-court game and is a deserving finalist.

In her last outing against the Japanese star in a US Open semi-final last September, Brady pushed her all the way in a three set loss. Osaka later rated it her best match of the event.

The challenge for Brady will be to end the three-time major champion’s unbeaten run in grand slam finals. It is clearly far from an easy task.