"Anything I do is a bonus" - Osaka grateful for playing tennis again

The 24-year-old from Japan scored a straight-set victory against Angelique Kerber 6-2, 6-3 in exactly 60 minutes.

Osaka wasted no time taking control of the match, stroking a backhand winner down the line to break Kerber in the second game. With Kerber serving down 5-2, Osaka broke her again, converting her second set point when Kerber’s sprayed a forehand well long.

The second set was more of the same as Osaka, a decade younger than Kerber, controlled the points with deep, confident groundstrokes. Osaka took her third match point when another Kerber forehand sailed long. The win was good for Osaka as she said:

“She’s like the first high-seeded player I’ve beaten this year. I feel like I came into the match wanting to dictate. My power on the shots was working really well.”

Asked about goals, Osaka simply repeated her new mindset about being grateful for playing tennis while also trying to win as much as possible:

“I kind of realize anything that I do from this point is like a bonus. Of course, I want to win all the tournaments that I play. I want to win more Grand Slams. But at this point in my life, I just want to be grateful for being healthy."

She finished off with:

"There’s a lot of really good players that might get injured or might get sick. I actually haven’t gotten injured ever. Granted my career is quite short. I’ve been able to achieve a lot. Hopefully I achieve more. But I think I need to stay grounded.”