Osaka ‘relaxed’ heading into Australian Open title defence: “I do feel like I’m a bit more seasoned even though I’m still relatively young”

Naomi Osaka will head into the Australian Open as the defending champion this time around but isn’t feeling that pressure compared to the US Open.

Osaka admitted she learnt a lot from that experience and in particular how to deal with it. She also hopes as well that gaining more and more experience can help translate it into her matches.

“I think I'm definitely more relaxed now compared to the US Open,” she noted.

“I think I learned a lot there, just in a way of handling my nerves and what to expect. Definitely I'm glad I was able to experience everything that I experienced. I think heading into this tournament, I'll be more prepared.”

“I do feel like I'm a bit more seasoned, even though I'm still relatively young, per se. But I think every year I get more comfortable on the tour, so hopefully that somewhat translates into my matches,” she said.

“I feel like last year I was young. I was just this young kid that was going out. Like, my goal was to win, and I wasn't going to let anything stop me. I feel like now I appreciate more every single win because I know what it took to get it. Of course, I want to win every match and I want to go out there and do that. That's what I'm here for.”