"Honestly my attitude, I was just very stressed": Naomi Osaka says weight of US Open first round got to her

Naomi Osaka made a winning return to the US Open on Tuesday night, defeating Belgium’s Greet Minnen 6-3, 6-4 in the first round. Under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium, Osaka delivered a performance that mixed nerves with flashes of her trademark power — and afterwards, she admitted the emotions of the occasion weighed heavily on her.

Osaka has had a great few weeks going into the US Open landing as the favourite for Kim Clijsters after reaching the final of the Canadian Open. But being a multiple time Grand Slam champion, Osaka is admittedly her own worst critic as she picked out the worst part of her game in her press conference.

“My least favorite part was honestly my attitude,” Osaka said candidly in her post-match press conference. “I was just very stressed. It was the first round, and this tournament means a lot to me. I really wanted to win, but I wish I thought more about the process rather than the result. But I’m glad I was able to win.”

Despite the stress, Osaka found joy in one moment that captured the New York crowd’s imagination. “My favorite part… I was not expecting everyone to like Billie Jean Bling. So I’m glad she made people smile today.”

Much of the buzz around Osaka’s return was not only her tennis but also her dramatic look. Walking onto court in a crystal-studded Nike dress and an elaborate rose-styled ponytail, Osaka explained the design had been years in the making.

“I designed this outfit a while ago,” she said. “We actually tried it on last year. It was really elaborate because the crystals are hard to do on a performance outfit. I just thought it would be really fun to do in New York under the lights. I’m glad my first match was a night match because this was my night outfit. Hopefully I’ll wear my day outfit next time.”

The hair, she admitted, was a collaboration with her stylist Marty. “I sent him inspo maybe a week or two ago — a big ponytail with roses in it. I asked, ‘You think this is possible?’ We tossed ideas around, and the outcome was way better than I could have imagined.”

The look became one of the stories of the night, though Osaka admitted she had always planned to remove it before play. “It was really heavy. I’ve played in braids before and even that was borderline. I just did it for the presentation.”

Osaka has also been the subject of a recent documentary, one that she described as an intimate look at her life. Asked whether it was difficult to be so open, she admitted it was a daunting process. “Obviously I try to be a very private person,” she said. “But with the director, Cat, she kind of became a very close friend with how much time we spent together. I stopped seeing her as the person filming and more like someone on the road with me.

“It is scary to let people see moments of your life, but overall I wanted moms to come away from the film — or anyone in general — just feeling more positive about themselves.”

Inevitably, the conversation turned playful, as Osaka was asked her thoughts on Carlos Alcaraz’s sudden shaved head. “When did he do this? I saw him with hair, and then suddenly yesterday I saw him practicing without hair. Did he ever explain if it was random?” she asked, laughing when told his brother had botched the job.

“Wow. It’s cool that he just doesn’t care that much. I thought he was going for like a David Beckham moment. Do I like it? Well, will his life change if I like it or not? I like people that do different things… So yeah, I guess I like it. He’s switching it up. Maybe next time he should go platinum.”

Osaka is back among the seeds at a major for the first time since 2022, something she admitted was significant. “Honestly? Protection,” she smiled. “I was hitting with [Karolina] Muchová the other day and I was like, ‘Thank God I don’t have to play you in the first or second round.’ She was laughing about it too. Definitely you don’t want to play the big names early on.

“I’ve always been the type of person that eases into it, but you have to earn that right. On any given day, I’m not scared to play anyone — I’d just like to get my feet wet before diving in.”

Next up for Osaka is American Hailey Baptiste, a player she has faced twice before. “She’s a really good player. She’s able to do basically anything, and it’s going to be tough because she’s American,” Osaka said. “The last time we played in Miami it was really difficult. All I can do is try my best and see what the result is.”

Reflecting in the Japanese portion, Osaka said her serve was her most reliable weapon against Minnen, even if it was broken a couple of times. I think I’m kind of riding a high on the service games. With Tomasz we’ve been working a lot on my returns and I feel more confident,” she explained. “That was a really big point for me, because I was able to focus and break back immediately when I needed to.”

She admitted nerves left her flat-footed at times, particularly against Minnen’s drop shots. “Since Montreal, I think I’ve only missed one drop shot. Today I was definitely a little flat-footed, but I chalk that up to nerves. Hopefully the more time I get on court, the better my footwork will be.”

Asked what she was most pleased with, Osaka didn’t hesitate: “My serve. Having a good serve puts a lot of pressure on the other person to also serve well.”

For Osaka, the bigger challenge may be mental. “Towards the end, I honestly wasn’t focused on my level of play as much as keeping a consistent attitude. I just tried to put balls in the court at a higher speed. She was more aggressive than I anticipated, and I was a little overwhelmed at times, but I just tried to make her play one more shot.”

She smiled when asked if her return position changes were modeled after anyone. “Honestly, I’m not trying to emulate anyone. I’m just doing what Tomasz tells me to do. I did something a little different than before… If you want to figure it out, you can, but I won’t tell you. It’s made me a lot more comfortable returning, so I hope no one figures it out.”