"When I first came here, I was worried" - Naomi Osaka on return to Roland Garros

Naomi Osaka admitted she was "very worried" about returning to Roland Garros after last year's row which led to her withdrawal.

Her decision to withdraw last year sparked fresh debate around athletes' mental health. The 24-year-old has been seeing a therapist and returned for the start of the season in Australia with a new focus on enjoying her tennis under coach Wim Fissette. Speaking to the media ahead of the event, Osaka said:

"I'm not going to lie. When I first came here, I was very worried. Of course I also didn't like how I handled the situation but I was worried that there were people that I offended in some way and I would just bump into them. But I think everyone has been positive, for the most part. I was also very worried about this press conference because I knew I'd get a lot of questions about this."

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She continued:

"But I think, where I am right now, it hasn't left my mind, of course I'm still thinking about it, and I'm kind of also prepping just in case I go on the court and a fan says something like in Indian Wells. For the most part I think I'm OK."

She will face Amanda Anisimova in the first round and on that she said:

"My reaction was I thought that (coach) Wim was joking. I had a dream a couple of days ago that the draw came out, and I had to play Iga (Swiatek). I was scared because I was thinking what's the worst possible player to play when I'm unseeded. She came in my mind, so thank God that didn't happen."