“I Thank Jay-Z and Beyoncé” – Naomi Osaka

Published 05/13/2020, 5:48 PM EDT

World Number ten Naomi Osaka really admires singer Rihanna for her hard-working nature, and she also looks up to her work ethic. Besides her, Naomi admires Jay-Z and Beyoncé. And she seeks motivation from their music.

While speaking to CNN Sport’s Christina Macfarlane the Japanese typhoon shared her experience of meeting Jay-Z. “He started talking to me. But I got really nervous and started giving one-word replies so he suddenly said, ‘Are you shy?’ and I said, ‘yeah,’ and the convo came to a screeching halt,” said Osaka.

“I want to take the chance to tell people I appreciate them while I can. I would like to thank Jay-Z and Beyoncé for making music that motivates me. Because there was a period in my life where I just watched Beyoncé performances to get motivated.”

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She listens to their music every now and then. “Even right now I’m listening to older Jay-Z songs because I feel like they’re really chill,” she added.

Due to her shyness, Naomi Osaka missed an opportunity to have a long chat with Jay-Z. And till date, she regrets not opening up in front of him.

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“I Have a Lot of Regrets” – Naomi Osaka

Naomi Osaka in 2019-20

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After winning her big title in Melbourne, Osaka was failing to win three to four matches in a row on the WTA Tour. Her form deteriorated and simultaneously she lost her World Number one position to Ashleigh Barty. After her exit from the US Open, she went on to clinch two consecutive titles in Japan and China during the Asian Swing.

Former World Number one Naomi began the season 2020 with a match-winning streak of 14, which was persisting since her title victory in Osaka, Japan. It was snapped by Karolina Pliskova in the semifinal of Brisbane International, wherein Naomi lost the battle after squandering match points.

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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.

“I Thank Jay-Z and Beyoncé” – Naomi Osaka

Naomi Osaka in 2019-20

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