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‘Something Crazy’: Naomi Osaka Reacts to Matching Roger Federer at Australian Open 2021

Published 02/20/2021, 12:30 PM EST

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via Reuters

Naomi Osaka is now a 4-time Grand Slam champion! The 23-year-old defeated Jennifer Brady in straight sets to claim her second Australian Open crown in front of a cheering crowd at Rod Laver Arena. Furthermore, Osaka also etched her name on a special list with her triumph! 

Not many athletes have found success in Grand Slams as much as Osaka. The Japanese talent has a 100% win percentage when it comes to Majors finals since the 23-year-old has won all of the matches that she’s played. 

This unique record matches that of Monica Seles and Roger Federer, two great athletes who also won all of their first four Grand Slam finals in their careers!

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Here’s how she reacted to joining Seles and Federer in the exclusive club. “My reaction is that that’s a very amazing company, and I hope that I can have one grain of how their careers unfolded.

“But you can only wish and you can only keep going down your own path. But yeah, it is definitely, definitely something crazy to hear,” Osaka expressed. 

Naomi Osaka has been so dominant that she’s won four of the last nine Grand Slams in the women’s singles division. The remaining five were won by five different competitors! Furthermore, Osaka’s four Majors titles account for more than 50% of her career titles (seven)! 

Naomi Osaka thinks she has a better chance of winning the French Open than Wimbledon

Naomi Osaka has once again proved that she’s the best player on hard-courts. The 23-year-old makes stunning returns on this surface, but she is yet to win a Grand Slam on clay or grass. 

Osaka was asked what will be her first non-hard-court Majors title during her post-match press conference, to which she replied, “Hopefully clay because it’s the one that’s sooner,” Osaka mentioned.

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“For me, I feel like I have to get comfortable on those surfaces. That’s the key thing that, you know, I didn’t play juniors, so I didn’t grow up playing on grass at all.”

via Reuters

Naomi Osaka needs to find a rhythm when playing on clay and grass to improve her chances at Grand Slams. So far, the best finish she’s achieved is making the third round of both Wimbledon and Roland Garros. 

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The future is indeed bright for Naomi Osaka, who is now the 12th woman to win multiple Australian Open titles. How many Grand Slams do you think Osaka will win before she retires?

Kei Nishikori Uses Innovative Method to Congratulate Naomi Osaka on Her Australian Open 2021 Triumph

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Written by:

Arjun Athreya

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Arjun Athreya is a senior writer at Essentially Sports and has been contributing since early 2020. Having developed an avid interest in sports at an early age, he pursued a Journalism degree and graduated from Madras Christian College. Arjun manages the Golf division and its content, and primarily covers news pertaining to the NBA as well.
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