Skip to main content Not for the first time, Serena Williams fans are upset with ESPN analyst's 'racially coded' commentary The Washington Post FacebookTwitterEmail For most of her life, Brittney Cooper has watched tennis, bearing witness to the sport's brightest stars, from Monica Seles and John McEnroe to Venus Williams and Coco Gauff. So when Serena Williams faced off Wednesday against Naomi Osaka, there was no doubt what Cooper would be doing: watching Williams, an all-time great, play bright young star Osaka. It was the next chapter in an exciting rivalry, one cemented by a controversial 2018 U.S. Open championship that Osaka won.