Osaka happy to be out of third round. . .
Naomi Osaka has shown moments of invincibility on her way to the final of the Australian Open, but she let the world in on a sore spot she’s always carried in her post-match press conference.
Still beaming after qualifying for her first Australian Open final, the 21-year-old let her guard down in a lighthearted press conference on Thursday evening.
Osaka is through to tonight’s final where she will face off with Czech power-hitter Petra Kvitova when the two stars go head to head for the No 1 ranking.
The Japanese admitted she still has a chip on her shoulder about receiving questions about her failure to push past the first three rounds in grand slams.
It was only at the 2018 Australian Open that she reached the last 16 at a major for the first time.
After more than two years of failing to crack the second week, she was simply sick of hearing about it in her post-match interviews. It’s why one reporter’s wisecrack brought a cheeky, faux-wounded reaction.
She was asked if, even for incredible success at just 21 years of age, if it has felt like it has been a long road for her to establish herself.
“Man, for me it feels like it took a while,” she said.
The bold reporter seized his moment and struck.
“How did it feel to be stuck in the third round?” he asked.
Osaka was mock-horrified.
“How could you,” she said as a huge grin began to break through her stern expression. “It felt great,” she said sarcastically. “I’ve been in the third round. I was stuck there for two years. As soon as I could break away from that, now I’m here again, I think it’s just experience and a confidence issue for me it’s always felt like.”