Osaka: Near Death Inspires New Perspective

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Osaka: Near Death Inspires New Perspective

Post season nearly turned post-mortem for Naomi Osaka.

The Australian Open champion shared the near-death experience she had while paddle-boarding with sister Mari Osaka off the coast of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

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During what she called her first "vacation ever" the two-time Grand Slam champion found herself nearly going off the deep end.

Naomi Osaka, who said she's not a strong swimmer, recounted the current carrying the sisters so far off shore the house looked "like a dot."

The black water, long distance and her fear of sharks conspired to nearly send Naomi into a panic attack.

“It was really fun — my sister was there. She made me paddle-board, and then the current took us and I almost died,” Osaka told the media in Brisbane. “I’m like, how far out are you trying to take us, because it’s black, like, the water is black now, and the house is like a tiny dot, and I can’t really swim that well."

The 22-year-old Japanese said off-court experiences have taught her to enjoy her life rather than stress over the pressure of playing for Grand Slam silverware.

“I just feel like I’m experiencing so many things in my life and everything’s really fun and I’m trying to take it all into ... perspective that these are things that I’ve never thought I was going to be able to do,” Osaka said.

The third-seeded Osaka opens against Maria Sakkari with the winner facing either Sofia Kenin or Anastasija Sevastova in the Brisbane round of 16.

Osaka said the vacation she took after the WTA Finals gave her cranky shoulder time to heal and reports she feels fit entering 2020.

"I’ve never really taken that long of a break before," Osaka said. "But I think it was really necessary because my shoulder was kind of worn down.

“But after that, I just did rehab and slowly started playing again and I think that that worked out really well because I don’t feel anything in my shoulder, and I like to think that I’m playing well right now.”

Photo credit: @China Open

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