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Naomi Osaka has good relationships with Coco Gauff and Serena Williams, but no real friends on tour

This is why Naomi thinks it is not right to have close friendships with the other people on tour despite her good relationship with Serena Williams and Coco Gauff

Alex Boyden

4 December 2020

Naomi Osaka is an extremely interesting and likable personality. However, during a recent interview, the Japanese sensation confessed that she has no real friends on tour.

Naomi seems to have a great relationship with the likes of Cori Gauff and Serena Williams. Still, she eventually prefers not to have strong bonds with her colleagues also because she wants to focus on her job. In addition, Naomi thinks it is not healthy to create friendships when everyone wants just to achieve the same thing: winning a tournament.

During a recent interview, Naomi revealed:

“I can speak on me, I don’t really have that many friends on Tour. Not on purpose, but I just feel like I’m so busy that I’m sort of like in and out of the locker room.

I know that other players have friends that are also tennis players but a part of me also thinks like everyone really wants to win a tournament. So there is a sort of a thing like, you know, ‘I don’t want to get too close to another player”.

Naomi Osaka in 2020

Currently ranked no.3, Naomi played her last match on the 12^th of September when she defeated Victoria Azarenka 1-6 6-3 6-3 in the final of the U.S. Open to win her 6^th career title.

At present, this year Osaka has a 16-3 win-loss record. Osaka clinched 1 title at the U.S. Open. Naomi reached the final in New York.

Cori Gauff in 2020

Now the world no.48, Cori played her last match on the 22^nd of October when she surrendered to Aryna Sabalenka 1-6 7-5 7-6² in the 2^nd round in Ostrava (draw).

Cori Gauff’s best performance of the current year was getting to the semifinal in Lexington.

Naomi Osaka and Cori Gauff played each other twice. The head to head is 1-1. The last time that they played, Cori Gauff won 6-3 6-4 in the 3^rd round in Melbourne (Australian Open) on the 24^th of January 2020.

Serena Williams in 2020

Now ranked no.11, Serena Williams was supposed to play on the 30^th of September. However, she conceded a walk over to Tsvetana Pironkova in the 2^nd round of the French Open (draw).

At present, this year Serena has a 17-5 record. The American has won 1 title in Auckland.