Naomi Osaka Press Conference | 2025 US Open Round 4

Mindset and On-Court Enjoyment

• 💡 Naomi Osaka expressed feeling comfortable and confident on court, a feeling she last experienced during her Montreal match against Svitolina.
• 😄 Her primary goal for the tournament is to smile and have fun, especially after feeling nervous and unsmiley in earlier matches.
• 🎯 She enjoys playing against the best players, viewing these matches as exciting challenges.
• 🤝 Coach Thomas Hogstedt encourages her "happy warrior mode," providing a supportive and encouraging environment.

Career Comeback and Motivation

• 🚀 Osaka sees her current position as "uncharted territory" in her career, enjoying the journey without added pressure or confidence from past Grand Slam records.
• ✅ She is particularly happy about not needing wild cards for tournaments anymore and expecting to be seeded in major events like Indian Wells and Miami.
• 🏟️ Playing on main stadiums against highly-ranked opponents provides significant motivation, fulfilling childhood dreams of competing at this level.

Strategic Play and Game Improvements

• 💡 The match against Liudmila Samsonova in Montreal was a turning point, helping her overcome a pattern of losing tight matches and fostering a "bigger fighter" mentality.
• 🧠 Her coach, Thomas, focuses on "little things" and strategic patterns rather than drastic changes to her game.
• 💪 A key improvement is her physical capability to rally, allowing her to play smarter and not feel pressured to hit a winner on every shot.
• 🎾 Against Coco Gauff, her strategy involved being comfortable with long rallies and patiently building points without panicking.

Upcoming Match and Future Outlook

• ⚠️ Osaka anticipates a "really tough challenge" in her next match against Karolina Muchova, acknowledging Muchova's talent, movement, and strength.
• ✨ She feels relaxed in the second week of the major, having already achieved her goal of having a better year than the previous one.
• 🧘‍♀️ The thought of not playing tennis permanently has not crossed her mind, as the sport is like "breathing air" to her.

Visualizing Success

• 🌟 Osaka emphasized the power of dreaming and believing, stating she had visualized being back in this position after giving birth.