“Not chasing No.1 spot,” Comeback queen Naomi Osaka has her own plan sorted

Naomi Osaka was beaten by Elise Mertens in the third round of the Indian Wells Masters.

“Not chasing No.1 spot,” Comeback queen Naomi Osaka has her own plan sorted

Naomi Osaka (image via IMAGO)

Naomi Osaka has revealed that she didn’t come back to tennis to be World No.1 but rather to win more Grand Slam titles. The four-time major title winner painfully exited in the third round of the Indian Wells following her loss to Elise Mertens.

Osaka played in her fifth tournament this year at the BNP Paribas Open since her comeback after eighteen months away from the court. Many were expecting the former US Open champion to have a spectacular time on the court. But that is yet to be the case, as she has lost five and won only four of her last nine matches.

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Despite the poor result, the Japanese star has shown improvement gradually. In her post-match press conference after exiting Indian Wells, she revealed that she’s not aiming to be World No.1 following her comeback but is willing to add more Grand Slam titles to her trophy cabinet.

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Osaka said via Indian Wells Press:

Honestly, I'm not really chasing the No. 1 spot right now. Like, that's such an if I could get there in, like, three years or, I don't even know what's going to happen in that time, but that was never really the reason I came back.
Naomi Osaka said

She added:

I wanted to win more slams. That's why I came back. But I think I determine success right now just by the effort that I put in, and I feel like today I don't think I played well at all, but I tried every point. I think before I was pregnant, there were a couple of matches that I didn't try as hard as I tried today, and I feel like I can walk off the court knowing that, although I'm sad about the loss, I know that I tried every possible way to get back in the match.
Naomi Osaka added

Naomi Osaka will be aiming to improve her performance at the Miami Open. She would be hoping to win the title knowing she reached the finals in 2022 before losing eventually to Iga Swiatek.

Naomi Osaka says her daughter loved the California desert

Naomi Osaka says her daughter Shai has loved the California desert and she would be sad to leave following her painful exit from the Indian Wells. The Japanese won her two opening matches but lost to Elise Mertens despite showing fighting spirit.

Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka (Via Imago)

Osaka joked in her on-court interview:

I am just really excited to see Shai after this. I was thinking during the match that I want to win because she loves it out here so, who am I to take her away from the desert.
Naomi Osaka said

Osaka is now forced to make the trip to Los Angeles where she and her partner Cordae live. However, she will not be there too long as she will head for the Miami Open which starts on the 17th.

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