“Get Homesick Quite Often”: Naomi Osaka Opens Up on Her Limited Schedule on Tennis Tour

Japanese professional, Naomi Osaka, is popular on the women’s tour for her unique disposition, and she never fails to gain more and more admirers because of her solid character. The reigning Australian Open winner is growing her reputation as an elite player in every tournament she plays. However, she does not seem to as many championships as her fellow competitors.

So why does the 23-year-old have a limited schedule?

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Naomi Osaka likes to be focused on any one tournament

Presently, Naomi Osaka is in a tennis bubble in South Florida, the United States, for the Miami Open 2021. There, she revealed what she had been up to in the time between her Australian Open glory and her coming to the Sunshine State.

Naomi said, “I’ve basically been training and getting stuff done.” Fans who have followed her journey from the beginning know all about her dedicated and disciplined lifestyle.

The 23-year-old Japanese had once confessed that it is hard to make friends on the women’s tour. However, by winning Grand Slams at such a young age, she managed to earn the respect of the best of the best. Today, she is one of the most influential athletes on the planet.

Her dominance on court leads to the million-dollar question: Why does she only play selective tournaments? To this, Naomi said, “I’ve never thought of myself as the type of player that will play week in week out. I get homesick quite often. I like to travel and be focused on a tournament. That works for me.”

This seems to be working well as the Japanese-born is World No. 2 despite playing fewer tournaments. In fact, she has more Grand Slams to her name than other WTA titles.

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What are Naomi Osaka’s chances of winning the Miami Open 2021?

Interestingly, Osaka has a fair chance of regaining the top rank from the defending champion and World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty in Miami. The top two seeds are on the path to meet one another in the final on April 4.

As per the draw, the Japanese-born has an easy path to win her first Miami Open title. The toughest competition on her side of the main-draw is Sofia Kenin, Karolina Pliskova, Bianca Andreescu, Garbine Muguruza, and Jennifer Brady.

Osaka will begin her campaign on March 25 against Australian Ajla Tomljanovic for a place in the Last 32. Do you think Naomi can win the Miami Open this year?

Also Read: How Can Naomi Osaka Topple Ash Barty for the World No.1 Ranking at Miami Open 2021?