Naomi Osaka yesterday insisted that she is not consumed by returning to world No. 1, revealing that her top priority is greater consistency as she eyes a second Australian Open title.
The world No. 3 is widely seen as a frontrunner at Melbourne Park, having gone 14 matches unbeaten — including the US Open final — before withdrawing from her Gippsland Trophy semi-final against Elise Mertens with a shoulder injury.
Three-time Grand Slam winner Osaka reached the rankings summit two years ago when she defeated Petra Kvitova to win the Australian Open and become the first Asian player to take the top spot.
Photo: Tennis Australia / AFP
Despite her heady rise, the 23-year-old said that becoming world No. 1 felt slightly underwhelming, and brought extra pressure.
“I think nobody really acknowledged me as No. 1,” said the Japanese star, who was wearing glasses, an orange beanie and Los Angeles Lakers attire in her news conference.
“It just made me think people don’t really see me as No. 1,” Osaka said. “I just kept trying to prove myself. I felt like that wasn’t really a good mindset to have.
“If it comes to the point where I’m able to be No. 1 again, I’ll embrace it, but I’m not really chasing it like that anymore,” she added.
Instead, Osaka hopes to be a more consistent performer on the tour and gain inspiration from world No. 2 Simona Halep, who has been ranked in the top 10 for 346 consecutive weeks.
“I think that’s incredible,” she said of Halep’s streak, which is the eighth-longest in WTA history.
“I feel like I want to have that sort of consistency,” Osaka said. “My career, it’s been kind of up and down a lot, and people don’t really know when I’m going to do well in a tournament or when I’m not.”
“I think my ultimate goal is just to at least reach the quarter-finals or better at every tournament I play, and hopefully win most of them,” she said.
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