Naomi Osaka
You can easily get depressed. Usually, if you play sports, you think that one match or one game is very important, and when you lose it, you think your whole world is over.Collection: Sports
I feel like I play better when I'm calm. There is an inner peace I can tap into sometimes during my matches.Collection: Peace
For me, as long as my family's happy, I'm happy.Collection: Family
Japanese culture? I kind of love everything about it. I love the food. Everyone's really nice. There's just a lot about Japan that's really cool.Collection: Food
What makes me relaxed is the fact that I know I've put in a lot of time during the offseason on my fitness.Collection: Fitness
You just gotta keep going and fighting for everything, and one day you'll get to where you want.
In a perfect dream, things would be set exactly the way you would want them. But I think it's more interesting that in real life, things aren't exactly the way you planned.
When I play my match, everything else is completely not in my mind anymore.
Sorry, public speaking isn't really my strong side.
I can't let myself act immature, in a way.
Every time I have a dream, somehow I accomplish it.
When you have to do small talk, you know, 'Hello, how are you?' after that, I don't know what to do. I go, 'OK, then,' and walk away.
I'm just really excited every time I play a match.
I don't think you can win a Grand Slam and not be confident in yourself.
I think, for me, I just really want to have fun with every match that I play because tennis is a game.
I feel like I'm a child of the Internet, and the Internet has raised me, and its jokes might not be appropriate at certain times. So, I keep them locked inside.
I guess I tell jokes a lot, but I'm not really that sure because sometimes they don't laugh, and they just stare at me like I said something insulting.
I don't think there is ever going to be another Serena Williams.
I get that I'm tan, and I would stand out a little bit in Japan.
I don't necessarily feel like I'm American. I wouldn't know what that feels like.
You know how some people get worked up about things? That's a very human thing to do. Sometimes, I don't know - like, I feel like I don't want to waste my energy doing stuff like that. I think about this on the court, too.
Most people know me for U.S. Open, right? And during U.S. Open, I didn't show any emotions most of the time. But then after that, I did show - well, in my opinion, it was a lot of emotions. I got upset, and then I threw my racket or stuff like that.
Everyone around me has more confidence in me than I do in myself.
I'm really grateful that I get a lot of Japanese press.
I like sweating.
I'm always smiling.
I'm not really the type that spends money on myself.
The thing is, I'm used to handshakes. Every time someone comes for a hug, I'm very confused. I'm told that I give out the worst hugs, too.
It's not necessarily the best situation for me to try to hug someone unless I really know them. And I don't really know anybody, so.
For me, grand slams are something you dream about playing as a kid.
I can't really act entitled.
If - when someone asks me a question, if I could just focus on not joking, I think that would be great, because for some reason, I can't.
With some of the journalists, I've known them for years now, and I kind of consider them like my friends, so I always tend to joke around, and some people don't get it.
I don't know if I'm 'normal.'
For me, it's, like, no secret that Serena is my favorite.
Oh, my God, I literally only have, like, one friend that I'm actually completely, like, myself with.
For me, every practice and match I've played, it feels like the year is short and long at the same time. I'm aware of all the work I put in.
Actually, I live in FL now. But, I mean, of course I'm very honored to be playing for Japan. But my dad's side is Haitian, so represent.
I don't know if anybody knows this, but Serena's my favorite player. Just playing against her is kind of like a dream for me, so I'm very grateful that I was able to play her, and it's even better that I was able to win.
I don't really know what feeling Japanese or Haitian or American is supposed to feel like. I just feel like me.
It takes me a while to absorb things.
I was born in Osaka. I came to New York when I was three. I moved from New York to Florida when I was, like, eight or nine, and then I have been training in Florida since.
Haiti, if you've ever met a Haitian person, they are just really positive, and literally, if you're friends with them, then they will do anything for you. So I think that's something that is, like, a really good trait, and I'm really happy that my grandparents and my dad's side of the family is like that.
This is going to sound weird, but I never went to normal school; I went to online school.
For me, I do better in Grand Slams. I like when there's more people watching.
Ever since I can remember, I played better against bigger players on bigger courts.
I grew up surrounded by both Haitian and Japanese culture.
I think everybody who sees me would think that I'm really scary or something. But I'm not!
Of course I'm happy that I won a Grand Slam. I don't think there's anything that can take away from that.
Honestly, I feel like people don't look at other people when they're walking around.