Last year was a breakout year for Naomi Osaka. She won her first WTA title at the Indian Wells Open in March 2018. Her biggest victory came at the US Open later in the year. She defeated Serena Williams to win her first major title. Osaka’s victory over the 23-time Grand Slam winner catapulted her onto the international spotlight. She won fans around the world for her humility and grace after the victory. However, the pressure over the 21-year-old increased as many wondered if she had been lucky in the US Open final.
Doesn’t bother me anymore
She answered her critics early this year by winning her second major title in Australia. The Japanese star defeated Petra Kvitova in the final of the Australian Open, winning back-to-back Grand Slam titles. The victory took her to her first number one ranking of her career. She has spoken about the pressure she felt after her rapid rise to fame. In an interview with CGTN, Osaka said she felt bothered by the attention at first but has since gotten used to it. “It doesn’t really bother me anymore. I think it did right after I won the Australian Open.”
It’s a privilege
The 21-year-old said she was now more comfortable making the headlines. “I think that it’sa sort of privilege that people talk about you. I hope that I can keep that going.” After winning the Australian Open, Osaka suffered a dip in form. She exited the French Open in the third round. Her performance at Wimbledon was also disappointing, losing in the first round to Yulia Putintseva. At this year’s US Open she lost to Belinda Bencic in the round of 16.
Osaka made a coaching change after the US Open. She parted ways with her coach Jermaine Jenkins who she had hired in February. Her father Leonard Francois is her current coach on a temporary basis. She seems to be back to her best after making the switch. The 21-year-old won the Pan Pacific Open in Japan last month. Last week, she won the China Open in Beijing. Her latest title victory has moved her up to third on the rankings. She has also qualified for the WTA Finals in Shenzhen. The tournament will feature the players with the best records this year and will start on the 27th of October.
Naomi Osaka’s ranking and performance in 2019
Ranked no.3, Osaka played her last match on the 6th of October when she beat Ashleigh Barty 3-6 6-3 6-2 in the final in Beijing to win her 4th career title.
This year Naomi has a 39-11 win-loss record. The Japanese has won 3 titles in 2019 at the Australian Open, in Osaka and in Beijing.
