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regular-article-logo Saturday, 27 April 2024

Wiser Naomi Osaka learns to chill

'I just want to go back and start training again to hopefully win a tournament next time'

Reuters Published 04.04.22, 01:45 AM
Naomi Osaka

Naomi Osaka File Photo

Naomi Osaka was certainly disappointed on Saturday after falling to Iga Swiatek in the Miami Open final, but the four-time grand slam champion said she may leave Florida with something more valuable than the winner’s trophy.

Osaka only dropped one set en route to the final. But her impressive run came to an abrupt end as she fell 6-4, 6-0. The 24-year-old Japanese, however, said she learnt a valuable lesson while falling short.

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“I have learnt that like, I don’t know, I’m not as disappointed as I normally would be. I think normally I would be crying in the locker room or something, but now I’m kind of like chill,” said Osaka.

“I feel like I know what I want to do better, and I just want to go back and start training again to hopefully win a tournament next time.”

Those were encouraging words to hear from Osaka, who took a break from the sport last year to prioritise her mental health and arrived in Florida after an early exit at Indian Wells where she was reduced to tears after being heckled during a match.

Osaka, whose last tournament win came at the 2021 Australian Open, said her new attitude does not mean she is not hungry for more titles.

“It’s all about keeping a certain perspective. Playing Iga today, just knowing the kind of roll that she’s on, I have to think about what specifically did I learn today,” said Osaka. “I feel like this is the learning process, and something good will happen eventually.”

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