US Open champion Naomi Osaka revealed on Monday that she still feels emotional about her win over Serena Williams and felt compelled to apologize for it after Williams fight with their umpire overshadowed her victory. Appearing on the Today show, Osaka, 20, spoke ina soft voice as she said that she 'knew' the court was rooting for her opponent and not her to win. She said she was confused when Williams started shouting at umpire Carlos Ramos after he issued her with a string of fines, and was unaware if the crowd was actually booing at her when they started jeering. 'In my dreams, I won a very tough, competitive match. I just felt very emotional and I felt like I had to apologize,' she said, adding that she still had not watched back their match to determine for herself whether Williams' outburst was justified. 'I didn't really know what was going on because I went to the back and had my back turned. Then before I knew it, he was saying there was a game penalty. I was a little confused by the whole thing. Scroll down for videos US Open winner Naomi Osaka said on Monday that she still felt emotional about her win over Serena Williams and that she felt compelled to apologize for it after Williams' on-court drama with their umpire overshadowed the victory 'I felt a little sad. I wasn't sure if they were booing at me or if it was because it wasn't the outcome they wanted,' she said, speaking of the center court crowd. Osaka, who is half-Haitian and half-Japanese, went on: 'I could sympathize. I have been a fan of Serena my whole life. I knew how badly the crowd wanted her to win.' She is yet to watch back their match but is determined to decide for herself if Williams or Ramos was in the right. 'I'm not really that 100 percent sure because I kind of haven't really had time to look too much at the news. 'I've been going all over the place. I can't really form an opinion. I want to watch everything and I want to know what happened. 'This is sort of the biggest thing that's ever happened to me,' she said. She thanked Williams for celebrating her win during the trophy ceremony. 'She knew I was crying... everyone was sort of unhappy up there. She was saying some things that made me happy overall.' 'In my dreams, I won a very tough, competitive match. I just felt very emotional and I felt like I had to apologize Osaka, who represented Japan, went on to say while her father was 'cool' about her win, her mother was overcome with emotion and pride. 'My parents said they were really proud of me. My mum was crying a lot. My dad wasn't, he's sort of a cool guy. 'I called my sister too and she was happy for me,' she said. Williams' on-court controversy began when Ramos cited her for accepting coaching from Patrick Mouratoglou which, she denied. He then took a point from her when she smashed her racket in frustration after missing a shot. That sparked her furious rant where she called him a 'sexist thief'. Ramos then took a game off her as a punishment for 'verbal abuse'. The incident has divided public opinion. Many athletes have lined up behind Williams to support her, saying she was justified in her description of Ramos as sexist because a male player would not have received the same harsh penalties. Others say Ramos was entitled to issue the violations and that she was merely having a tantrum. Her remarks on Monday echoed her gracious winner's speech on Saturday when she said, through tears, 'I've been going all over the place. I can't really form an opinion. I want to watch everything and I want to know what happened. 'I know everyone was cheering for her and I’m sorry it had to end like this.' On Monday, Osaka said she had idolized Williams since she was a child but was undaunted by her at the start of their match. 'I was lucky enough I've played her once before in Miami. It didn't feel that real because it was a grand slam this time. 'I've watched her play in grand slam finals as a kid. It felt really different coming in to this match, I was really nervous. 'I was freaking out a little bit but when I went on to the court, it didn't really feel like she was Serena. It felt like she was another player,' she said. Osaka said she is only now beginning to enjoy the win. 'I am very happy to be here. I mean, I've never been on a talk show before. It still feels a bit surreal but I think it's slowly sinking in,' she said. Williams has been fined $17,000 for her behavior during Saturday's final. Williams came to blows with umpire Carlos Ramos after he gave her a coaching violation in the second set. It was the first of three violations she would receive by the end of the final and overshadowed the match. Williams maintains that Ramos was sexist in his handling of the game Osaka conceded that the victory was not the one she dreamed of but that it was starting to 'sink in' It began when Ramos accused her of accepting coaching from Patrick Mouratoglou who was in the crowd. She argued with him, insisting she had not and would never cheat. Mouratoglou has since admitted that he was coaching but believes Williams did not see him. '[He] treated her like a cheater,' he said. 'She felt completely humiliated. That's why she reacted like that. Integrity is the most important thing to her,' he said. When Williams lost a point in the second set, she smashed her racket out of frustration. Ramos fined her a point and the decision set off her unhinged rant towards him. That is when she labeled him 'thief' and accused him of sexism, saying he was being unfairly harsh towards her. 'I never got coaching.<doc-sep>Naomi Osaka tells PEOPLE what it was like to win the U.S. Open The 20-year-old tennis prodigy who beat Serena Williams at Saturday’s U.S. Open women’s singles final is — naturally — feeling quite overwhelmed by the whole experience. In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Naomi Osaka delved into what it felt like to play her childhood idol and how she and her family are coping with the drama surrounding her win. Get push notifications with news, features and more. To start, the Japanese athlete explained that, no, she wasn’t nervous playing Williams, 36, “because I played her once before. The reason why I would be nervous was because I’ve never played a finals before. Otherwise, when I stepped onto the court I felt completely fine. When I play, I feel like a different person so I felt pretty comfortable.” Miami Open 2018 - Day 3 Naomi Osaka | Credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty When asked about the conflict between Williams and the umpire that dominated the aftermath of the game, the first Japanese Grand Slam winner said, “I still didn’t really know what the controversy was about,” adding, “I felt like so much went on. I feel like I’ve never won a Grand Slam so everything feels really new. I’ve been surrounded by my mom and my dad this entire time and we’ve been celebrating.” serena-c Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka | Credit: Julio Cortez/AP/REX/Shutterstock She also hasn’t seen Williams since the match: “I got whisked away as soon as the ceremony finished,” she said. During the U.S. Open women’s final, Williams got in a verbal altercation with chair umpire Carlos Ramos, whom she called a “thief,” and she was later issued three violations, including one for breaking her racket. Critics called the punishment sexist, asserting that men regularly get angry on court without being penalized. Once the match concluded, Williams didn’t shake the umpire’s hand and she continued demanding an apology as the crowd roared with boos until the trophy ceremony, where the 23-time Grand Slam champion instructed, “No more booing!” Above all, for Osaka, this period of her life is about planning for her next opportunity to win big, but she’s also thinking about what that could mean for aspiring athletes, especially biracial people, back home in Japan. “I’m always trying to do the next thing so I’m constantly trying to win more so right now I’m thinking about the next tournament — but at that moment, I do feel like I accomplished a lot,” she shared. “Growing up and having so many role models and inspirations, I’ve always wanted to be thought of that way by someone else. If that time comes, I’d be very grateful.” RELATED: Naomi Osaka Talks US Open Win In the same interview with PEOPLE, Osaka revealed her playlist before Saturday’s big game. “I listened to Nicki Minaj‘s new album [Queen],” she said. She also shared that she commits to one musician before matches and only switches if she loses, adding “I’m genuinely more into hip-hop and rap.” Osaka, who is currently based in Florida, is the youngest woman in the world’s Top 20 and Japan’s highest-ranked female player in more than a decade, a label she’s quite proud of.<doc-sep>Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka has broken her silence on what Serena Williams said to her during Sunday’s (AEST) unforgettable US Open final ceremony. Osaka was booed during the post-match presentation after stunning home favourite Williams in straight sets. The Flushing Meadows crowd were particularly unhappy with court umpire Carlos Ramos, who Williams clashed with on several occasions, leading to several code violations and an eventual one-game penalty for the 23-time grand slam singles winner. Williams called Ramos a “thief” and a “liar” during the match, and later slammed the “sexism” in tennis punishments. The fallout has taken the spotlight off Osaka, who, aged just 20, showed why she will be a star of the future with an outstanding performance against the world’s best player. She was in tears during the trophy presentation and said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show that it was a “stressful” experience. Also opening up on Williams’ words of comfort during the ceremony, Osaka said: “She said that she was proud of me and that I should know that the crowd wasn’t booing at me. At the time, I did … think they were booing at me. I couldn’t tell what was going on, because it was just so loud in there. It was a little bit stressful.” Osaka also revealed her mindset during Williams’ mid-match meltdowns, during which she looked away and tried to keep focus. “When you’re little, you’re taught not to look at, like, if your opponent gets angry or anything,” Osaka said. “You’re told to just turn around and try to focus, so I tried to do that, but in my mind I was sort of – like I really wanted to know what was going on. “I couldn’t hear and I was looking away, but I heard a lot of people in the crowd making noises, and I really wanted to turn around, but I didn’t.” Ellen turns matchmaker In a wide-ranging interview on the popular television program, Osaka was also asked about her celebrity crush. “I don’t know his name but he was in Black Panther … but he was the villain,” she said. She was referring to American actor Michael B. Jordan, who DeGeneres knows. “Seriously, somebody get my phone,” DeGeneres said. “I will text Michael and I’ll tell him that he should meet you.” DeGeneres then took a photo with Osaka and sent it to Jordan, who responded with a Twitter video congratulating to the tennis star. “The way you carry yourself with such humility and grace, it’s really amazing to see,” Jordan said. “You’re setting an amazing example for the kids.” Osaka has risen to seventh in the WTA world rankings.<doc-sep>Noami Osaka captured her first grand slam title at this year's U.S. Open, but her victory was overshadowed by controversy surrounding her opponent, Serena Williams. Williams was slapped with a $17,000 fine for comments she made to the match's officiator after he accused her coach of cheating—a ruling that has generally been categorized as sexist and unprecedented. But despite the squabble on the court, Osaka kept her cool, and she opened up on Ellen about what it was like to play—and win—such a controversial match. In the interview, Osaka tells Ellen that she really, really wanted to turn around when she heard Serena Williams calling out the officiant, Carlos Ramos for dirty calls, but that she didn't want to break her focus. Instead, Osaka kept her back turned to Serena's side of the court, contemplating her next move. In the full clip below, Osaka also shares how she thought the crowd was booing her after the match, what Serena Williams whispered in her ear upon her victory, and her celebrity crush (Michael B. Jordan!! )—prompting Ellen to play matchmaker. This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Holly Rhue ELLE.com Contributor Holly Rhue is a writer and editor in New York City. 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Sep 12th, 2018 Sep 12th, 2018 US Open women’s champion Naomi Osaka has revealed that Serena Williams told her she was proud of her before reassuring her that fans weren’t booing her after their controversial final at Flushing Meadows. Osaka appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show following her maiden grand slam final win which was overshadowed by Williams becoming embroiled in an epic fight with umpire Carlos Ramos after being slapped with a game penalty for three code violations. MORE: » Umpire Carlos Ramos breaks silence » Umpires considering Williams boycott » NBA star Steph Curry praises Serena The ugly incident reduced Osaka to tears, with New York fans launching into a continual chorus of boos after Williams demanded an apology from Ramos after he penalised her for being coached from the stands before branding him a ‘thief’ for treating her differently to male players. (Supplied) Naomi Osaka chats with Ellen DeGeneres about her win at the US Open women's final. The furore only died down during the presentation ceremony after Williams pleaded with the crowd to stop booing, and Osaka revealed to DeGeneres what the former World No.1 said to her after leaning over to embrace her. “She said that she was proud of me and that I should know that the crowd wasn’t booing at me, I was really happy she said that,” Osaka said. “At the time, I did kind of think they were booing at me. I couldn’t tell what was going on, because it was just so loud in there. It was a little bit stressful.” ‘I hope this doesn’t tarnish her legacy’ DeGeneres assured the softly-spoken Osaka, who is only 20 and admitted in the past that Williams was her childhood hero, that she was a deserved winner of the tournament. The Japanese star said she tried to ignore the furore as it was unfolding around her because that was what she had been taught to do since she was a child. “When you’re little you’re taught not to look if your opponent gets angry or anything,” Osaka said. (AAP) Serena Williams embraces Naomi Osaka after the US Open women's final. “You’re told just to turn around and try to focus so I tried to do that but in my mind I really wanted to know what was going on. “(I didn’t know what was going on) because I couldn’t hear and I was looking away. I heard a lot of people in the crowd making noises and I really wanted to turn around but I didn’t.”