Naomi Osaka Reveals Why She ‘Hated’ to Say Come On During Matches

Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka has revealed that she hated it every time she uttered the words ‘come on’ during her learner years in tennis.

Naomi Osaka says her father would give a quarter every time she said ‘come on’

In an interview to Vogue, the three-time Grand Slam winner said that while she didn’t like mouthing those words, her father did.

Osaka took her early tennis lessons from her father, who pushed her into tennis after watching Serena Williams in action.

The Japanese star revealed that her father would hand her a quarter every time the words, either in elation or anger, came out of her mouth. She was a 10-year-old at the time, Osaka said.

“I hated it. I thought, if I’m so loud, then I will draw attention to myself,” the reigning US Open champion said.

Osaka says she later got used to saying these words

However, Osaka said that while she initially had inhibitions using those words, she later got used to it.

“I felt like people would stare at me. But I don’t know. I guess I sort of got used to it,” said the Japanese, who now resides in the United States.

On the career front, Osaka had a fairly fruitful 2020, winning her third Grand Slam title.

A fairly fruitful 2020 season for Osaka

She finished the season ranked Number 3, trailing Australian Ash Barty and Romanian Simona Halep at numbers 1 and 2, respectively.

The Japanese was also picked by Forbes magazine as the top-earning female athlete this year, consigning the likes of Serena and former Russian star Maria Sharapova to the shadows.

Osaka took home earnings of over $37 million in prize money and endorsements.

By her tall standards, the Japanese had a fairly underwhelming Australian Open this year, losing in straight sets in the third round to American teen tennis sensation Coco Gauff.

Read More: Naomi Osaka Determined to Atone for Disastrous 2020 Australian Open

She didn’t play the French Open this year, claiming that her recovery from an injury was behind schedule.