Tennis: Defending Australian Open Champion Naomi Osaka Admits of Still Being Star Struck

Naomi Osaka shocked the world in the 2018 US Open where she defeated the ever-dominant Serena Williams in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4, to claim her first Major championship. At the young age of 20, Osaka proved that she could stick around and perform with the best players in the WTA Tour. She followed up this performance with a three-set thriller victory against Petra Kvitova to claim the 2019 Australian Open.

Osaka has had a strong start to her career and she has already made history as the first Asian player to attain the World Number 1 ranking. She has had a series of successes in the past two years and continues to be one of the more exciting players to watch out for.

It’s a fresh sight as Osaka is part of the new generation of players making headlines. Serena Williams and her 23 Grand Slams have defined the past two decades and these young competitors are out to make their own impact in the sport. The new batch of stars such as Angelique Kerber, Osaka, Simona Halep, and Bianca Andreescu has placed their mark as forces to be reckoned with. These younger players grew up watching Williams, notably Osaka who has attributed much of her tennis career to Williams’ influence.

Despite the success and limelight, Osaka admits that she doesn’t talk much to the top players such as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Williams. As part of her shy demeanor she shared that the whole experience of being with the best in the world as surreal, "I just - it's weird, like, tennis players, we have to play each other, we're super competitive, but then off the court we see each other every week."

This doesn’t hinder Osaka one bit as she remains to be focused in every aspect of the game. She kicked off her Australian Open title defense with a two-set drubbing of Czech player Marie Bouzková, 6-2, 6-4. After the match, Osaka said that she was glad to finish the match in two sets, as she was able to gather her composure.