Naomi Osaka Reveals Mom’s Reaction After Australian Open Win

Published 01/28/2019, 7:10 PM EST

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The 21-year-old from Japan, Naomi Osaka dispatched three from the top ten seeds in Melbourne and proceeded to accept her second major crown. It will be a memorable final-match in Naomi’s career as she vigorously worked on the Rod Laver Arena to outshine the two-time Wimbledon champion, Petra Kvitova. The Japanese tennis ace becomes the first woman, since Jennifer Capriati in 2001, to consecutively usurp the first two major titles of her career. 

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Osaka began her 2018 season with a ranking of 72 on the WTA catalogue, she had no titles on her name and just held two victories against the WTA top ten women. Within a span of 10 months, She earned two Grand Slam titles, Indian Wells title and immense love from all over the world. Along with all the glories and the accolades of the Australian Open 2019 title, Osaka woke up on Monday as the new World Number one on the WTA list and first person from the populous continent of Asia to step on the summit of tennis.

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“It’s always been pretty simple,” Osaka said. “My goal was of course to be the best tennis player that I can be. I don’t think everyone else can follow my path, everyone has their own paths. That’s what makes life interesting. The fame stuff is something that’s not my favourite part. I think that comes with all of this and I feel like if you do well, of course, that will always come. But for me, I’ve always been a tennis player, and that is always going to be the thing that is the biggest in my heart.”

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After creating history and winding up with the post-match formalities, Naomi spoke to her mother in order to receive her felicitations. However, their conservation was slightly diverse from the usual. “I called my mom after I did all the press,” Osaka said. “She didn’t even say congratulations. She just yelled at me to go to sleep. So I felt really loved”. No matter what you are, a Grand Slam champion or the World Number one tennis player, a mother will always be a mother.

Also, Osaka mentioned her thoughts on tennis over past two years and the surreal sensations which she is undergoing. “I feel like for the past two years, all I really wanted to do was to be in the Top 10 because I thought that’s how you make a name for yourself. To be in this position now is really unreal. I feel like I want to do well during the entire year and not just the hardcourt tournaments.”

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Mahalakshmi Murali

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Mahalakshmi Murali joined EssentiallySports in 2018 as a tennis author and has gone on to pen more than 1800 engaging articles, probing into various aspects of the sport and its illustrious players. With her expertise on the sport, Mahalakshmi has interviewed stalwarts from the sport such as Serena WIlliams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou and Kevin Anderson’s physio, Carlos Costa. Equipped with her vast experience and a keen understanding of the sport, Mahalakshmi now co-heads the tennis department.
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