Naomi Osaka ready to defend her maiden crown at Flushing Meadows
“It's definitely changed for me. I took, like, a break sort of and kind of relaxed and realized that you have to have fun doing what you love,” Osaka said.
The defending champion Naomi Osaka is smiling again at the US Open.
The 21-year-old Japanese was in tears during the trophy ceremony in 2018 and exited her press conference in similar fashion at Wimbledon. But she says she now has another approach.
“It's definitely changed for me. I took, like, a break sort of and kind of relaxed and realized that you have to have fun doing what you love,” Osaka said. “I love tennis. Sometimes I feel like I don't, but I wake up every morning and if I don't play, I feel like I kind of have done nothing during the day.
"Yeah, it's definitely changed for me. For me, I just go every day trying to learn something new, trying to just do the best that I can.”
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Osaka, who won her second major at the Australian Open, has sometimes allowed the pressure to get to her but she says there are also a lot of positives.
“It has its moments. There are some things that I definitely think to myself I'm really blessed to be in this position, and then there is bad things that come with that,” Osaka said.
But enjoying it isn't the same as taking it easy, she adds, saying, "It's like something fluffy, like you're on the beach somewhere sipping a pina colada. I'm right here right now.”
She will play against Anna Blinkova on Tuesday night at the US Open.
Wake up every morning with Tennis Channel Live at the US Open, starting at 8 a.m. ET. For three hours leading up to the start of play, Tennis Channel's team will break down upcoming matches, review tournament storylines and focus on everything Flushing Meadows.
Tennis Channel's encore, all-night match coverage will begin every evening at 11 p.m. ET, with the exception of earlier starts on Saturday and Sunday of championship weekend.