Naomi Osaka compares tennis eras as she admits she may now be a ‘nostalgic’ player
Naomi Osaka has lived through two eras of the tennis and now she admits she fears she has slipped into the list of players who may be classed among ‘nostalgic’ players on the WTA Tour.
Osaka made a stunning breakthrough when she beat Serena Williams to win her first Grand Slam title at the US Open in 2018 and went on to win three more Grand Slam titles.
She took a break from the game to give birth to her first daughter and has returned to the top of the sport in 2025, with new opponents on the other side of the net than when she first broke through.
Osaka is still only 27, but when she reflects on the era she started in and the players she is up against now, she finds it hard to pick between the two.
“My memory is so bad I wouldn’t be able to tell you,” she said with a smile at the Wuhan Open.
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“When I first came up, all of my favourite players were still around, which is something that I’m like, very happy to have experience.
“Obviously Serena and Venus (Williams) and Maria Sharapova was here. So there was all of the like, nostalgic players.
Now I’m a little stressed and I’m wondering if I’m a nostalgic player for some people! But yeah, I think tennis has evolved a lot. Everyone moves pretty well, and everyone can hit a winner. So it’s a little bit different.”
Osaka has always been a big fan of on-court fashion and admits she likes to be on court in an outfit that makes a statement.
“I grew up watching Serena, Venus, Sharapova and they used to do a grand reveal of their outfit,” she stated.
“I feel like tennis is kind of missing that a little bit. So obviously, I want to be a little extra and make it fun again.
“I think for the US Open, obviously, it was very sparkly, but I think that match, you know, the city, the city, and I’m excited for next year, because I think it’s getting better.”
Osaka is a huge hero for Chinese tennis fans and admitted the adulation coming her way in Wuhan is welcome.
“I’m just really grateful,” she added. “I feel like whenever I come to China, everyone shows me a lot of love, and I appreciate it so much.
“I was thinking in Beijing that I get the best gifts in China, and I don’t know, it’s just really cute, and I feel like I’m happy to see everyone, and everyone’s also happy to see me. So it’s a really good energy.”
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