Australian Open 2022: Former world number one Naomi Osaka: I cared too much about results and rankings
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Updated 04/01/2022 at 22:55 GMT
Former world tennis number one Naomi Osaka was away from the sport for four months after she endured a tough 2021 and had to withdraw from the French Open after deciding not to take part in press conferences. As she prepares for the 2022 Australian Open, she said she will now be focused on her mental health above tennis results.
Osaka on her anxiety: 'I'm going into this year a bit more optimistic'
Naomi Osaka says she will put her mental health ahead of ‘results and rankings’ after a four-month break from the sport.
Osaka, who has four Grand Slam wins to her name, is back in action in Australia at the Melbourne Summer Set. Her first match saw her win against French athlete Alize Cornet 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
At last year’s French Open she caused controversy when she decided not to attend any press conferences, which soon led to her withdrawing from the tournament entirely.
She explained at 2021 Wimbledon that she had been battling anxiety and depression, which drew some support from sporting figures, while others including Boris Becker and Mats Wilander felt she should have fulfilled her obligations.
Osaka spoke at a press conference after defeating Cornet, Osaka explained that she would not be focused with success on the court.
She said: “I only really have one major goal this year, and it’s completely unrelated to results and stuff like that. For me, I just want to feel like every time I step on the court I’m having fun. I can walk off the court knowing that even if I lost, I tried as hard as I could.
“Also, I have a goal in the press room, that I’m never going to cry again, so hopefully that works out in my favour.
“I’m the type of person that cared a little bit too much about the results and the ranking and stuff like that and I just need to find a way to enjoy the game again. Because that’s the reason why I was playing in the first place.”
However she will continue to act as she sees fit, saying: “right after everything happened at Roland Garros, I was really scared to come back in here [the pressroom] because I didn’t know what the energy was going to be like.
“I think that I’m just going to keep being myself, and you can interpret it how you want to. That’s kind of how it’s been working out for us this whole time.”
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