Through Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Monday, January 3, 2022

Naomi Osaka has set a new goal: never cry in the press room.

During a good-natured joke with the press after his victory in three sets against Alize Cornet On Tuesday in Melbourne, the four-time Grand Slam champion admitted she took things a bit too seriously in 2021.

“Also, I have a goal in the press room, which I will never cry again, so hopefully that works in my favor,” she said. “I just feel like for me, I’m the kind of person who cares a bit too much about results and standings and stuff like that. And I just need to find a way to enjoy the game because that’s why I was playing in the first place.

Osaka made headlines last season when her decision to boycott her French Open press conferences was met with resistance from the tournament and the Grand Slam, who threatened to take action against her if she failed to comply. not press obligations.

It all ended badly, with Osaka withdrawing from the tournament after one round. She would also skip Wimbledon, and when she made her return to the United States, she had tearful press conferences in Cincinnati and the US Open, before ending her season.

She says the free time has been great for her and more importantly it made her realize how much she misses sports.

Osaka: “Shout out to my team. I really love them. They’re like my family. Of course, I took time off and they said let them know when I was ready. When I got bored enough back home I texted them and told them I’d like to play again if you don’t hate me too much.”

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) January 4, 2022

“During the off season, I spent time with my friends and talked to my family a lot,” she said. “I felt like it was a way to decompress the pressure I had on myself. Then I slowly started to regain the feeling of love I had towards the game.

“It’s not like it’s completely gone, but I felt like it’s been overshadowed by a lot of the emotions I’ve been feeling just playing consistently year after year since I was like — I I started playing tennis when I was three, and I never really took a break.

“Yeah, sometimes it’s just good to remember why you play and all that.”