Naomi Osaka Refuses to Blame New York for the Number of Controversies at this year’s US Open

Naomi Osaka is in the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time since 2021.

Naomi Osaka Refuses to Blame New York for the Number of Controversies at this year’s US Open

In its first week, the 2025 US Open has witnessed several dramatic moments. Daniil Medvedev had a huge meltdown during his opening round match, Jelena Ostapenko came under fire for her remarks towards Taylor Townsend, and Stefanos Tsitsipas had a heated exchange with Daniel Altmaier regarding an underarm serve.

Despite the chaos at Flushing Meadows, Naomi Osaka believes that New York brings about her best behavior. After her roller coaster third round win, the 27-year-old was asked about the drama-filled tournament at the press conference, to which she replied:

Hey, don’t blame New York. I don’t know what the tea is with Tsitsipas, so I’m not going to say anything, but I don’t know. I feel like, not calling everyone name out name by name, but Medvedev has had like a couple moments here that are kind of iconic…

Stunning the court with her glamorous custom kits and matching labubu dolls, Osaka has been playing some of her best tennis after a long time. The four-time Grand Slam champion further added:

So, yeah, I feel like the people here might enjoy a show, but I think people everywhere enjoy a show. So, I don’t know if it’s just the part of the season where everyone’s like tired and irritated or something, I mean, for me, I think New York brings out my best behavior. So, I don’t know what everyone else is doing

After a straight set victory over Greet Minnen and Hailey Baptiste, Osaka defeated Daria Kasatkina in three sets to book her spot in the round of 16 at the US Open. Osaka is in the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time since 2021 and she awaits a tough challenge in her next round with second seed Coco Gauff.

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Naomi Osaka is rediscovering her best tennis amid a four-year title drought

Naomi Osaka, who is facing a title drought since the 2021 Australian Open, struggled with her form for a prolonged period of time until the North American hard court swing this year. At the Canadian Open, Osaka reached the quarterfinal of a WTA 1000 or higher tournament for the first time since the 2024 Qatar Open, and a WTA 1000 final for the first time since the 2022 Miami Open.

Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka (Image via X/TNT Sports)

Despite a remarkable progress in Montreal, she lost the final to home favorite Victoria Mboko, however, she has continued that winning form in her run at the US Open where she is seeded 23rd. At the US Open, the Japanese tennis star has to battle past another home favorite, Coco Gauff.

While Gauff struggled a lot with her form since the grass swing, she has turned the tables now in New York. Both Gauff and Osaka have seen a coaching shake up in the North American hard court swing.

Osaka parted ways with Patrick Mouratoglou ahead of the Canadian Open and started working with Iga Swiatek‘s former coach Tomasz Wiktorowski, a change with had a very evident effect on her performance. Meanwhile, Gauff parted ways with coach Matt Daley and hired biomechanics coach Gavin MacMillan to her team. Gauff’s serve has shown improvement over the past few days in New York.

The two-time Grand Slam champion holds a 3-2 head-to-head record over Osaka, defeating her in the last two meetings. As both former US Open champions are looking to find their best form after a period of inconsistency, it will be exciting to see how their upcoming match goes.

Also Read: Naomi Osaka Blasts Jelena Ostapenko Over Racist Tussle with Taylor Townsend at the US Open