Naomi Osaka says she will never be bothered by fans greeting her during practices because it still feels surreal to her to be where she is now.
On Instagram, the Japanese tennis star decided to engage a bit with her fans so she staged a Q&A session. And since fans noticed that she was putting up some big work on the practice court, the majority of questions centered on that.
“Does it bother you when fans say hi when they see you practicing?” a fan asked.
Although the last few seasons haven’t been great result-wise, Osaka is still one of the most successful players of her generation with four Grand Slams. However, accomplishing major success on the biggest level didn’t change anything in regards to how the Japanese views her fans or other people.
“Honestly not at all. I still think of myself as the kid practicing on public courts so it’s always a shock and an honor that you guys who I am. Genuinely don’t know how I got here. I’m not able to have full convo’s during my practices however,” the 27-year-old answered.
Naomi Osaka Q&A© Naomi Osaka – Instagram
Osaka is going hard this preseason
In early October, the former world No. 1 sustained back and abdominal injuries which prevented her from playing in her last couple of scheduled tournaments. But judging by her latest posts, she has fully recovered.
“How’s the off season going!” another fan asked.
Osaka replied by posting a picture that shows her hand full of blisters: “Good I think I’m turning into a tennis ball haha.”
Naomi Osaka Q&A© Naomi Osaka – Instagram
Since the four-time Major winner is seemingly determined to enter the 2025 season as ready as possible, her fans would like to see regular updates.
“Will you please post more from tennis training this preseason please?” one question read.
While Osaka noted she understands her fans, she highlighted that she doesn’t prefer to use phone during her practices.
“Sorry I’ll try my best I always think it’s disrespectful to be on the phone during practice so I rarely get photos/videos. I’ll try to ask someone to film something next time,” she explained.
Naomi Osaka Q&A© Naomi Osaka – Instagram
Osaka now works with Serena Williams’ ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou
Before launching her post-pregnancy return, the former world No. 1 also brought back Wim Fissette to her team. The Belgian was someone who guided her to Slam wins in the past and she hoped they could do something similar again but it didn’t happen. The two ended up separating after the US Open.
Then, Osaka made a blockbuster move and hired Mouratoglou, who has one of the most exceptional resumes on the Tour. Even the Japanese is a very accomplished player herself, she admitted that this partnership was something big for her.
“I think the fact that he was Serena’s coach for me made me want to avoid him just because his persona is so big. Then I met him, talked to him, worked with him on the court. He absolutely is a really good coach. I’m really glad that he’s taking this project on as well,” the former world No. 1 said in early October.
Early in their collaboration, the Japanese made a statement that perfectly showed how much she respected Mouratoglou.
“I kind of look to the floor when he looks at me. I think I do need a lot more time to spend together with him. I’m getting a little more comfortable day by day,” she admitted.
After Williams, the French coach also had stints with Simona Halep, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Holger Rune. And since Osaka wants to return to winning Grand Slams, she felt that he was the perfect guy to help her elevate her game and achieve her post-pregnancy goals.
“I like the way he coaches. I think it’s going to be really interesting. I think I’m at a stage in my life that I don’t want to have regrets. I’d rather pull the trigger on something and I don’t want to say ‘fail’, but I feel like I really need to learn as much as possible in this stage of my career. Patrick seemed like the guy with I guess the information that I wanted to learn from. I try not to get into relationships with people for short-term. I try to think of it as a long-term commitment. I like the way he coaches. I think it’s going to be really interesting,” she explained two months ago.
After seeing the Japanese’s Instagram posts, it is safe to say that she bought into Mouratoglou’s philosophy and that she is serious about her intentions.
Meanwhile, Osaka will start her 2025 in the first week of the season in Auckland.
Tennis World USA