"I feel refreshed & happy again" - Naomi Osaka after 1r win over Zheng Saisai at Olympics 2021
Naomi Osaka became the subject of a huge controversy at the French Open after she announced her decision to boycott press conferences in order to safeguard her mental health. The World No. 2 was forced to withdraw from Roland Garros, following which she took a break from the tour and sat out of Wimbledon too.
Two months later Naomi Osaka is back in action, and it looks like she never left. Osaka didn't show any signs of rust on Sunday as she blazed past China's Zheng Saisai 6-1, 6-4, thus starting her bid for Japan's first tennis Olympic gold in emphatic fashion.
But perhaps more importantly, the 23-year-old looks happier and healthier than before. Speaking to the media post her first-round win, Naomi Osaka revealed that she feels refreshed and rejuvenated following the hiatus.
"For me I feel like more than anything I'm just focused on playing tennis," Osaka said. "Playing the Olympics has been a dream of mine since I was a kid so I feel like the break I took was very needed but I feel definitely a little bit refreshed and happy again."
A lot has changed for the Japanese after she took the break to recover and recuperate. She looks more free with her mindset now, and her anxiety in dealing with the press seems to be a thing of the past.
On Sunday, Osaka candidly expressed that she doesn't feel 'weird' about speaking to the media anymore. In fact, the former World No. 1 even said she was 'happy' to be asked questions again.
"For me, honestly I don't feel that weird about it," Osaka said. "It might feel weird to you guys, but I don't know. I'm happy that I guess you guys are asking me questions but more than anything I was just focused on playing tennis and I guess I feel a little bit out of my body right now."
Naomi Osaka got to know in March that she would be lighting the Olympic cauldron
Naomi Osaka has been the talk of the town since Friday, which is when she created history by becoming the first tennis player to light the Olympic cauldron. That will likely go down as one of the most memorable moments of her career, and the Japanese feels extremely proud and honored to have got the opportunity.
While talking about the special moment, Naomi Osaka also revealed she knew as early as March that she would be lighting the flame.
"I'm not sure I can say when I found out," Osaka said. "I can say that? Okay, around March, like Miami. I was definitely very, very happy and honored. Right now, I feel very, very proud. When I lit the flame, I was super honored."
"You know that is a position you dream about and not everyone can do it," she added. "When they asked me if I wanted to, I was very surprised but very honored and happy to be here and happy to play, especially in Tokyo."