Naomi Osaka to focus on tennis in 2023 ahead of other interests
WTA
Naomi Osaka is involved in many activities off the court, but she reiterated her commitment to tennis during a recent interview.
Osaka is a four-time Grand Slam champion and possesses devastating power that is hard for any opponent to stop when she is at her best, especially on the Japanese star's favored hard courts.
However, 2022 was a challenging season for Osaka. She struggled for consistency and did not come close to adding to her Grand Slam tally, losing in the third round of the Australian Open and the opening rounds of the French and US Open. Osaka missed Wimbledon with an injury.
The former WTA world No. 1 might take some comfort and belief from nine-time Grand Slam champion Monica Seles's recent statement that Osaka is even better than she was during her career.
Osaka has activities off the court to keep her engaged when struggling for form. Hana Kuma, the production company she co-founded, received an Emmy nomination for a documentary named "Mink!"
The two-time US Open champion also founded the Play Academy to support kids worldwide. In an appearance on Good Morning America, she explained the purpose of the Play Academy and mentioned how committed she remains to tennis.
"I feel like I'm a very curious person. So, I'm grateful to have been given all these avenues to explore, so I am definitely looking forward to doing a lot of stuff but I am a tennis player, so if I don't play tennis for too long I get an itch."
"Play Academy is basically an organization where we give grants to schools and other organizations around the world so that little girls and boys can play, do activities and after-school programs."
Even the greatest players experience disappointing seasons, and there is no reason why Osaka cannot respond in 2023 and reach the level that took her to four Grand Slam titles.
