Recently, Naomi Osaka said openly about how much she appreciates Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Maria Sharapova among tennis legends.
On Tuesday, the four-time Grand Slam champion responded to some questions from her fans on social media. Osaka, who hasn’t participated in the circuit since September 2022, talked about her favorite tennis players, preferred racket designs, and much more.
Novak Djokovic, the current world No. 1 and the most successful male tennis player of all time with 24 Grand Slam victories, was praised by Osaka as an incredible tennis player.
Osaka wrote on Instagram: “Honestly as I grew up I really learned to appreciate Novak a lot more. Purely as a tennis player this man is unbelievable lol. Everyone knows I love Serena & I appreciated how focused Nadal & Sharapova were every match too.”
She also lauded Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal, and Maria Sharapova, who are renowned for their determination and dedication on the court.
She added: “Everyone knows I love Serena and I appreciated how focused Nadal and Sharapova were every match too. I don’t have a favorite though. I like qualities from a bunch of different players.”
Naomi Osaka says she started appreciating Novak Djokovic as she got older:
“Honestly as I grew up I really learned to appreciate Novak a lot more. Purely as a tennis player this man is unbelievable… Everyone knows I love Serena & I appreciated how focused Nadal & Sharapova were… pic.twitter.com/axovjw7a91
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 4, 2023
Naomi Osaka in 2023
Ranked world no.661, the Japanese played her last match on the 20th of September 2022 when she had to retire when playing against world no.247 Daria Gavrilova in the 1st round and the scoreline was 1-0 .
This season the Japanese has achieved a 14-9 win-loss record.
Novak Djokovic in 2023
LWWWLWLWWW Currently ranked no.1, Novak played his last match on the 15th of September when he overcame world no.25 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3 6-4 in the Rubber 2 of the Davis Cup (draw).
Presently, during this year the Serbian has a compiled 46-5 record. Djokovic clinched 5 titles in 2023 in Adelaide, Australian Open, French Open, Cincinnati and U.S. Open. Novak got to the final in Wimbledon.
Rafael Nadal in 2023
Currently ranked no.240, Nadal played his last match on the 18th of January when he lost to world no.39 Mackenzie Mcdonald 6-4 6-4 7-5 in the 2nd round in the Australian Open (draw).
This season Rafael has a 1-3 record.
