"I will count it as my best victory ever" - Naomi Osaka on beating her sister Mari
Naomi Osaka has revealed that she counts her win over elder sister Mari as her "best victory ever."
Osaka has a difficult task on her hands as she heads into the 2022 US Open. The Japanese star has been drawn against former World No. 7 Danielle Collins in the first round.
While taking part in a panel conversation to discuss how time is a necessary ingredient for change, Osaka said that her victory over her sister was better than all the Grand Slams.
"That's my No. 1 victory, way before all the Grand Slams and stuff like that," Osaka said. "For me, I will count it as my best victory ever. and I'm sorry but she cried."
A great couple days talking sport,life lessons and personal growth with you @naomiosaka
Thank you for trusting me, the smiles and good vibes 😎 https://t.co/afdARicHdx
Mari Osaka retired from professional tennis last year with a career record of 196-162.
During the course of the discussion, Osaka also spoke about what it meant for her to inspire kids.
"I wanna be like you (they say) when I grow up and I'm like wow. I remember when I was young and I was looking upto my favourite players and there were tens of thousands of players in the world," she said.
Naomi Osaka's projected path at US Open
If Naomi Osaka gets past Danielle Collins in the first round of the US Open, she is expected to meet Kaja Juvan in the second. But the real challenge for the two-time US Open champion could possibly come against defending champion Emma Raducanu in the third round.
Raducanu, herself, has a difficult first-round match against Alize Cornet.
#USOpen: No. 11 seed @EmmaRaducanu will start off the defence of her title against Alizé Cornet FRA WR 37 (CH 11 in 2009) - the previous (2020) champion Naomi Osaka, unseeded this year, is also in Emma's 1/16th of the draw. twitter.com/usopen/status/…
Elena Rybakina, the reigning Wimbledon champion, could possibly be Osaka's fourth-round opponent, as could Aryna Sabalenka.
Belinda Bencic or Paula Badosa could await Osaka in the quarterfinals if she advances that far, while World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, who had an incredible run earlier in the season, could be her semi-final opponent.
If Osaka does make a third final in New York, she could run into Simona Halep or French Open runner-up Coco Gauff.
Naomi Osaka is a four-time Grand Slam champion, winning the US Open in 2018 and 2020 while triumphing at the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021.