Naomi Osaka is eager to put the joy back in her tennis ahead of the U.S. Open Series. The World No.2 posted a heartfelt message on social media yesterday in which she revealed that the last few months have been tough for her, but thanks to the support of friends and family, and the excitement garnered from meeting new people and having experiences, she’s in a good space.
But it hasn’t been easy.
“I can honestly reflect and say I haven’t had fun playing tennis since Australia, and I’m finally coming to terms with that while relearning that fun feeling,” she wrote. “I’ve put so much weight on the results of my matches instead of learning from them…”
Osaka is set to play the Rogers Cup in Toronto next week. The World No.2 has a 34-12 record on the season and has not played since falling in the first round at Wimbledon to Yulia Putintseva.