"Really don't know what I did to deserve it all, love you"- Naomi Osaka thanks fans for birthday wishes
Naomi Osaka received a slew of birthday wishes from her fans as she celebrated her 25th birthday on Sunday.
The former World No. 1 took to Twitter to express her gratitude to everyone who wished her on her birthday. She shared a childhood photo of herself and wrote:
"Just like that a quarter century has passed for me and I feel really lucky to have encountered so many different people and traveled to so many exciting places in that time. Honestly with each passing year I always expect myself to be more put together or to magically be more of an adult, I've realized though that a lot of things you can't rush and it will all come eventually through the experience of living life."
"Thank you, thank you, thank you for watching me go on this journey and I'm so grateful for all the love and messages, I really don't know what I did to deserve it all. Love you and I'm sure I'll see you around," she added.
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Naomi Osaka has had a mediocre season so far. Her streak of winning at least one Grand Slam every year since 2018 came to an end and she is yet to win any title this year.
The Japanese also recently withdrew from her Pan Pacific Open second-round match against Beatriz Haddad Maia, bringing an end to her title defense.
Naomi Osaka Pulls Out Of Pan Pacific Open With Stomach Pain
channelstv.com/2022/09/22/osa… https://t.co/hWjN9xZE8B
"She's the biggest force in the sport, not intentionally trying to make Federer or Nadal smaller but she's the biggest thing that will ever be in the sport" - Naomi Osaka on Serena Williams
Serena Williams recently lost in the third round of the 2022 US Open to Ajla Tomljanovic in what was most likely the last match of her career. While Williams hasn't made her retirement official yet, it's improbable that the 23-time Grand Slam winner will take to the court again.
In light of this, Naomi Osaka expressed her thoughts on Williams' retirement at the US Open 2022 pre-tournament press conference. The 25-year-old stated that Williams is the "biggest force" in the sport, adding that it wasn't her intention to denigrate Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal.
"I honestly think that she's, like, the biggest force in the sport," Naomi Osaka said, adding, "That's not intentionally trying to, like, make Federer or Nadal smaller. I just think she's the biggest thing that will ever be in the sport. It's just really an honor just to watch her play. She's giving us a chance to, like, watch her more."