Osaka declares loves for tennis and says "I'm going to play soon."

Naomi Osaka has given an update on her intentions going forward during an appearance in the HBO show 'The Shop'

Naomi Osaka last played at the US Open where she lost to Leylah Fernandez after throwing away a lead in the 3rd set. Fernandez went on to reach the final in what was a breakout performance for the young Canadian while Osaka admitted feeling relief after her defeat. The Japanese player is still finding ways to deal with pressure but during an appearance on the HBO show 'The Shop' she revealed she will play soon.

She said:

“For sure I love the sport. I know I’m gonna play again, probably soon because I kind of have that itch again. But it wouldn’t really matter to me if I won or lost. I’d just have the joy of being back on the court. Just to, like, you know, that I’m doing it for myself."

Osaka also spoke about what made her lose appreciation for tennis during a time saying:

“I started to feel like that power was being taken away from me. And the way that I felt, like, I wasn’t playing to make myself happy and I was more concerned about … what would people say about me."

She further said:

“I used to love the competition and just being competitive. Like if I were to play a long match, the longer it was the more fun it was for me. And then I just started to feel—recently—the longer it was the more stressed out I became. But I just needed a break to go within myself."