Dream big, work hard, and stay humble! Naomi Osaka is not only popular for her heroics on the court, but her bold stance on multiple off-court issues has also made her an inspirational figure in the sports world. She has millions of followers across the world! How does she manage to deal with this fame so successfully over the years though? Hailing from a humble background, it was more like “It’s either I have to be the best or I’m going to be homeless,” for Osaka. From nothing to winning four Grand Slam titles! Naomi Osaka has seen a lot in these years and guess what? She’s still the same person, and her humility is what makes her more lovable among the fans.

Osaka recently made a winning return to the court after an almost three-month absence from the tour. She suffered an injury at the China Open in October this year. Osaka then returned at the ASB Classic, and guess what? She didn’t have much trouble outclassing the Israeli qualifier Lina Glushko in the first round by 6-4,6-4 in just 1 hour and 25 minutes. Naomi Osaka has a lot of fans in Auckland and seeing this massive popularity across the globe a reporter asked her to reflect a bit on how manages to deal with fame as a high-profile figure.

Reflecting at the post-match press conference, Naomi Osaka said, “You know what’s funny? I don’t think I’m famous. I feel like the word ‘famous,’ when I think of it, is someone who like can’t go outside.. they have paparazzi everywhere. I’m the type of person where I’ll just walk outside when I’m in a city. I love walking and seeing things.” Despite having won 4 Slams and a net worth of around $45 million, how does she manage to stay so humble?

The former world number one further added, “I think instead of the word ‘famous’ I think of myself more as like I have friends all around the world that know me. I might not know them right away but it’s kind of like I was able to give them memories and hopefully we’ll be able to talk and interact about them.” In fact, we also glimpsed her down-to-earth nature when she reacted to her recent triumph over Glushko.

While sharing her thoughts on the match, Osaka didn’t forget to heap praise on the young Israeli tennis player. She said, “I’m really happy to be back. I definitely think she’s an amazing opponent. I had never played her before. It was good to have to scrap for the first round. I had no idea what the score was most of the time. I just kept trying to tell myself one point at a time and trying not to get discouraged. Thankfully it came out in my favor in the end.”

Next up for the Japanese is taking on Austria’s Julia Grabher in R2. It’ll be interesting to see whether Osaka can keep her winning run intact in the 2025 season or not. What are her major plans in the second phase of her career, though?

“I don’t see myself playing for a while” – Naomi Osaka

Naomi Osaka played 38 matches last season. She displayed a bit of her vintage tennis in some of her matches, but Osaka failed to hold on to the consistency. Her best results were reaching the QF in Doha and in the s-Hertogenbosch. However, her best on-court moment came at the French Open against the ‘Queen of Clay.’ Although she lost the match to Iga Swiatek in a three-set thriller, her incredible performance in that game put her in the headlines the next day! Everyone thought she’d finally found back her golden touch. However, she ended her season with zero titles in her bag.

While sharing her thoughts on those moments, Naomi Osaka recently said, “I played really good matches. People still talk to me about my Iga match at the French Open. So I’m glad that I was able to give people memories as well.” How does she look at the 2024 season, though? “I think 2024 humbled me, but I also feel like I grew a lot,” said the Japanese superstar.

She further added, “I worked way harder than I’ve ever worked before…So in that, I guess it was very painful to not get the results I wanted, but I feel like I’m growing and learning and I am really excited for (2025).” Osaka recently also hired Serena Williams’ former coach Patrick Mouratoglou as her coach in her team. So, she’s desperate to get things going in what literally has been the second stint in her astonishing career. What are her plans as of now, though?

“I don’t think I’m the type of player that would hang around. I have a lot of respect for all the players on tour, but the point of my life that I’m at right now if I’m not above a certain ranking, I don’t see myself playing for a while. I’d rather spend time with my daughter if I’m not where I think I should be and where I feel like I can be,” claimed Naomi Osaka. Despite a few stops and starts, her hunger for success has always remained the same. Do you think Naomi Osaka can win a big title in 2025?