"If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma" - When Naomi Osaka opened up about getting some weird random thoughts during practice
We've all been besieged with random thoughts at various times during the day. Naomi Osaka, however, takes it to a whole new level. The Japanese star has had some extremely random and weird thoughts, caused by TV commercials, stuck in her head at the most unexpected times - during her tennis practice sessions. She once revealed how her mind wandered during a practice session.
Osaka said that she once saw a commercial regarding the disease mesothelioma and was suddenly reminded of it during a practice session on the court. She simply couldn't figure out why she thought of the commercial while being involved in the intense practice session.
The Japanese player opened up about the hilarious incident during a press conference, admitting that her "mind wanders" a lot during matches, and was further quizzed about the same.
"Oh, God. Well, you know, once I was practicing, right, and my whole practice – you know, there is that commercial that says, “If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma,” that’s all I could think about for the whole practice. I was like, why do I keep thinking this?" Naomi Osaka said back in the 2020 season.
After getting rid of the thought about the mesothelioma commercial, another random commercial popped into her head. While she had a decent practice session, the Japanese superstar called it a "weird day."
"Then, like, during the breaks, all I could see was like that commercial where this women was running in a field. I mean, it was a good practice, it’s just my mind wasn’t there. Like, I think it was just muscle memory and stuff. That was a weird day," the 25-year-old added.
Naomi Osaka's quirkiness is not limited to random thoughts about TV commercials
While the TV commercial incident came out of nowhere, Naomi Osaka also has some quirky superstitions on the tennis court. Earlier this year at the Australian Open, Osaka was seen stepping onto the huge 'Melbourne logo' on the court inside the Rod Laver arena. She then went back and walked around the logo, making sure she didn't step on it again.
When asked about the same later, Osaka admitted to having a superstition when it came to the baseline and the Melbourne logo. She also revealed having a Rafael Nadal-esque obsession with keeping her water bottles in a specific position during changeovers.
"Honestly I've always been like that," Naomi Osaka said when asked about the logo incident during a press conference. "Every time I've come here, I really don't like stepping on the lines or the Melbourne logo in the back. I'm not really sure why that developed."
"I would say that most athletes have very strong superstitions. It could be one thing, it could be two things. For me, it's definitely the lines and the logo. Also I need my water bottles to be completely straight," she added.