Former world No 1 is more confident and at ease with herself since her return to action in January after 15 months away
Naomi Osaka is a worrier. There are times, she says, when she cannot stop her mind from working itself into overdrive as it fixates on her future. One of her concerns in recent years has been what lies ahead after tennis; she is not sure if she is good at many things beyond the brutal treatment she can dole out to a ball.
Considering the common theme of much of the conversation so far had been Osaka’s growth and maturity, this disclosure naturally prompts a question about how she has managed to move past her tendency to overthink her future plans. She responds, laughing, without hesitation: “Who said I’m past that?”