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Naomi Osaka of Japan returns the ball during her Women’s Singles finals match against Serena Williams of the United States on Day Thirteen of the 2018 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 8, 2018 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
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Naomi Osaka of Japan returns the ball during her Women’s Singles finals match against Serena Williams of the United States on Day Thirteen of the 2018 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 8, 2018 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
The Australian Open 2021 recently presented some great news for fans. The management announced that around 30,000 spectators would be able to come to stadiums daily to watch the Grand Slam. While players are welcoming this move, World No.3 Naomi Osaka has mixed feelings after hearing the news.
In a recent interview, Naomi Osaka revealed that the crowd usually distracts her. She believes that she loves to show off a little sometimes and plays some crazy shots in the presence of an audience.
“I think I get distracted by the crowd sometimes because I want to, like, show off a little bit, so I do some crazy shots,” said Osaka in the interview.
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Naomi Osaka of Japan celebrates winning match point during her Women’s Singles final match against Victoria Azarenka of Belarus on Day Thirteen of the 2020 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 12, 2020, in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
Although she mentioned that fans distract her sometimes, she also said that she loves to have a crowd watching and supporting her.
“Most of the time I miss, so…I would say I definitely love having a crowd watching,” added the Japanese star.
Osaka certainly has a huge fanbase not just in Japan, but throughout the world. She has won three Grand Slam titles at such a young age and has undoubtedly become an ambassador of the sport.
Read More: Who is Naomi Osaka’s coach?
“Definitely have to focus more”- Naomi Osaka
Osaka also highlighted that fans also used to shout certain things during matches. It is a thing that often makes her laugh on the court and thus, she emphasized that she will need to focus more in the presence of an audience.
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Naomi Osaka of Japan reacts against Angelique Kerber of Germany during their first-round Women’s Singles match on Day Two of the 2017 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 29, 2017, in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
“I feel like you sort of interact with them. Sometimes they shout things and it makes you laugh. Yeah, I would say I definitely have to focus more, though,” concluded the 23-year-old player.
Osaka has quite amazing concentration skills and has even won two Grand Slam in the presence of spectators. It’ll certainly take some time for her to adapt herself to this environment, but she feels that it is possible if she manages to focus more.
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The Japanese player will begin her 2021 campaign next week at the Australian Open 2021. Even though she lost to Serena Williams in an exhibition match in Adelaide, she’ll surely start as one of the favorites at the Grand Slam. Will Osaka be able to lift her fourth major in Melbourne this year?
Also Read: Naomi Osaka to follow Serena Williams’ schedule after the Australian Open 2021
