Naomi Osaka is back on the hard courts of North America and quite happy about it after an interesting experience in Paris, where she made some mistakes.
Osaka's Olympic experience hasn't been that great so far. Her mental health issues heavily impacted her Tokyo Olympics in 2021, as the Games rolled around at a time when she wasn't feeling all too well.
It was a shame because it was her home Olympics, where many Japanese hoped that Osaka could possibly deliver them a medal. It didn't happen that way because it just came at a bad time for her.
She played very nervously, and she actually admitted that in her post-Paris Olympics chat with the media. Overall, the experience in Paris felt much better for her because she was more relaxed and there were spectators, but she does regret not being part of the Olympic Village.
She feels like that's supposed to be part of the experience at the Olympic Games, but she opted against it this time around. However, she is excited about the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, as she lives in the city.
"I would say in Tokyo, I was definitely really stressed. In Paris, I felt a lot more fun. And obviously there were spectators there, so it was a lot different."
"But I didn't stay in the village, so that is something that I regret a little bit not to have the full experience. Overall, I think it was it was fun. Hopefully, I can play in LA."
Osaka has had a very interesting season so far, with an abundance of both good and bad moments. The Japanese player has had strong motivation since coming back, but it hasn't gone as smoothly as she had hoped.
There was hope that she would be back in the Top 10 by the time the US Open came around, but that won't happen. She backed up her claims that she wanted to play as much as possible, especially on surfaces where she hadn't played that much.
She's played both on clay and grass, which is admirable because she favors the hard courts. She even admitted it to the media, saying that she almost transformed once she touched hard courts in Canada again.
"As soon as my foot touched the hard court, I felt like Sailor Moon just transforming. I honestly thought I would feel a lot of pressure in this section -- and maybe once I start playing my matches, I might a little bit -- but I think, as hard as the European swing was, I feel like I learned a lot from it. It's just, I hope, going to make me a more complete player. I'm really excited to see what happens here."
This upcoming part of the season will be huge for Osaka, who should be able to play some really strong tennis. The courts will be quick, and play just how she likes them, so maybe we'll see some vintage Osaka tennis. The US Open, in particular, will be one to watch, but tennis will also be played until then.
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