‘Cheers to the ups and downs of life,’ Naomi Osaka grateful for battling past mental issues, vows for a strong outing in the Miami final
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Naomi Osaka
4-time grand slam champion Naomi Osaka got the better of Olympic champion Belinda Bencic in the semifinal of the 2022 Miami Open in three sets 4-6,6-3,6-4 to storm into her maiden final at Miami. Since the French Open last year, Naomi hasn’t been in form and has struggled a lot with mental health issues. After a couple of breaks, she finally came back on tour this year at the Australian Open only to lose in the third round.
At Indian Wells too, she lost in the second round but she managed to turn things around in just a week by making it to the final of the Miami Open. During the tournament, Naomi also revealed that she has finally started seeing a therapist after Indian Wells loss and that it is helping her a lot.
Post her semifinal win, Naomi penned down a few heartful lines and tweeted a picture of her shoes which symbolize hope. She said that she’s too grateful right now and lauded the ups and downs of life for making her appreciate the current moment even more.
“Man Idk what’s going on but I’m just so grateful right now. Cheers to the ups and downs of life for making me appreciate this moment even more. We’re back in a final, see you on Saturday,” Naomi wrote.
‘I feel like she was probably the best opponent in the world’: Naomi Osaka on Belinda Bencic
After the match, Naomi had some strong words for Bencic and said that in order to test herself, the Swiss was the best possible opponent for her in the world. The Japanese didn’t have a good H2H record against Bencic and hence was very happy to cross the finishing line.
“I wanted to go into this tournament and test myself, and I feel like she was probably the best opponent in the world for that. I didn’t have good memories of playing against her. So I’m glad that I was able to get through,” she said.
In the Miami Open final, Naomi Osaka will face the new World No.1 Iga Swiatek in a blockbuster clash on Saturday.
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Lakshya Chopra
(2595 Articles Published)