Naomi Osaka has shared how her appreciation for Novak Djokovic and his impact on the sport has increased a lot as she has grown older.
At just 25 years old, Osaka has already had a hugely successful career in the sport. The Japanese player has four Grand Slam titles to her name, along with seven WTA titles and 25 weeks as World No. 1.
Osaka has previously spoken about how 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams was her childhood idol. Ahead of Williams' final match at the 2022 US Open, Osaka paid tribute to her, saying that she owed her tennis career to the star and her sister Venus Williams.
"I think that her [Serena's] legacy is really wide to the point where you can't even describe it in words. Like, she changed the sport so much. She's introduced people that have never heard of tennis into the sport. I think I'm a product of what she's done.
"I wouldn't be here without Serena, Venus, her whole family. I'm, like, very thankful to her," she said.
However, Osaka recently opened up on her respect for World No. 1 Djokovic and how this has grown as she herself has got a bit older. The Serbian player holds countless amounts of records in the sport, the most prominent of which perhaps being when he equaled Margaret Court's record of 24 Grand Slam titles at the US Open last month.
However, Osaka stressed that she still admires Williams, as well as Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova.
"Honestly as I grew up I really learned to appreciate Novak a lot more. Purely as a tennis player this man is unbelievable… Everyone knows I love Serena and I appreciated how focused Nadal and Sharapova were every match too," she said.
Osaka is currently absent from the WTA Tour after she gave birth to her daughter in July. She is planning to return in 2024.
Naomi Osaka says she started appreciating Novak Djokovic as she got older: “Honestly as I grew up I really learned to appreciate Novak a lot more. Purely as a tennis player this man is unbelievable… Everyone knows I love Serena & I appreciated how focused Nadal & Sharapova were…
