Naomi Osaka returns to the circuit at WTA Toronto 2024, just a couple of weeks after being eliminated from the 2024 Olympics. The Japanese player, always honest, talks about how she faced that defeat in Paris, remains hopeful for the next edition of the event, and discusses how her perspective on the purpose of her life has changed. Additionally, Naomi confesses that she is spying on a WTA player to learn from her.

Her Olympic Experience

“I would say in Tokyo I was very stressed. In Paris, I had a lot more fun. Obviously, there were spectators, so it was very different,” Naomi explained about the Olympics four years ago during the coronavirus season compared to the recent ones. “I didn’t stay in the Olympic Village, so that’s something I regret a bit as I couldn’t live the full experience. Overall, it was fun. I hope to play in Los Angeles.”

Feelings in Toronto

“Honestly, I thought I would feel a lot of pressure on this tour, and I might feel a bit when I start playing my matches, but I believe that, despite how challenging the European season was, I’ve learned a lot from it. I hope it will make me a more complete player. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens here,” said Osaka, who is set to face Ons Jabeur, the 16th-ranked player in the world, in the first round of the Canadian tournament.

Her Life Beyond Tennis

“I lost at the Olympics. I was truly devastated, but surrounded by my team. Then I came home and saw my daughter, who was happy. She was glad that I was her mother, for some reason, and that gave me a lot of motivation. I feel that when I was younger, not to sound too negative, but in a way, I was searching for my purpose in life. From the way I grew up, my only purpose was tennis. And the year I took off made me see that there are many different things in life and that the world is beautiful,” the Japanese player affirmed to the WTA.

“Honestly, after pregnancy, I wasn’t very sure what my next move would be. I remember being on the UCLA track and almost crying out of frustration because I felt like I couldn’t run as fast as I wanted, and I had the sensation of wearing a suit that wasn’t working for me. And now to be here, I think it’s a truly incredible achievement. I watched Iga train at the Olympics, and for me, that’s something I want to do more, observe the great players, because there is always something I can learn. I know she has one of the best footwork in the WTA. I’m just trying to mimic it a bit.”

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Osaka: “El año que me tomé de descanso me hizo ver que el mundo es hermoso”