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By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, May 24, 2019

 
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“Roland Garros, that's, for me, what I'm dreaming about right now,” said Naomi Osaka.

Photo credit: Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Facebook

Before Naomi Osaka made magic in Melbourne capturing her second straight Grand Slam title, she made a phone call to mom to share a secret premonition.

“I called my mom in the second round,” Osaka said. “I was, like, ‘Do you want to come to Australia because I'm going to win this tournament?’ She was, like, ‘No.’ “

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The 21-year-old Osaka delivered on her called shot defeating two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova in the Australian Open final becoming the first woman to win two successive Slams since her tennis hero, Serena Williams, swept the first three majors in 2015.

Dialing up dreams in Melbourne, the world No. 1 met the media in Paris today sharing her goal: Winning her first clay-court title in Paris to take a major step toward completing the Grand Slam.

“Roland Garros, that's, for me, what I'm dreaming about right now,” a smiling Osaka told the media at Roland Garros. “If you're talking about longer goals, of course I haven't won Wimbledon yet either, and it would be really cool to win everything in one year.”


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hi @rolandgarros ☺️❤️

A post shared by 大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) on



A right hand injury forced Osaka out of Rome last week, but she has been practicing in Paris and says her hand “gets better every day, so hopefully by the time that I play my match, it's 100 percent.”

Riding a 14-match Grand Slam winning streak into Roland Garros, Osaka opens against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova. Should she prevail, she could be tested early facing either two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka, who partnered Ash Barty to win the Rome doubles title, or 2017 Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko. Osaka resides in the same quarter of the draw as French Open semifinalist Madison Keys, 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena and Miami champ Barty.

It's been a season of change Osaka.

The two-time Grand Slam champion rose to No. 1 for the first time, parted company with one coach—Sascha Bajin—and hired another—Jermaine Jenkins—struggled at times with the pressure of expectation that comes from wearing a bulls-eye on your back as world No. 1 at age 21 and surprised many industry insiders leaving apparel sponsor adidas for Nike.



Empowered by her own mission statement—believe to achieve—Osaka aims to channel her Melbourne positivity to Paris, where she’s posted a 4-3 career record.

“Actually, in Australia, the goal was to win. That was what I was waking up every day thinking,” Osaka said. “You know, like the walk through the tunnel, like, you see the two trophies. I would kind of tap that, the woman's trophy side. In the Australian Open, my mindset was very different from the US Open.

“For me here, I'm trying to emulate the same mindset. I don't want to be here thinking I want to get to the quarters. Of course I have never been that far here before, but my end goal is to win, of course.”

Preparing for her pursuit, Osaka spent some time training at the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca.

“Yeah, it was really nice,” Osaka said of Nadal’s academy that has hosted Andy Murray and Grigor Dimitrov, among others, in the past. “Stayed in, I don't want to call it a dorm. It was more like a hotel that was connected to the training facility, so it was very easy to go from the courts to the room.

“Everyone is very nice and helpful. So I was really… oh, yeah, and then I met Rafa. So that was really cool.”


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

😊 @rafaelnadal + @naomiosaka = 😍 VAMOS!! Welcome to the #RafaNadalAcademy! 🔝📸

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A self-described introvert who calls herself “good in the shadows” and celebrated her maiden major at the 2018 US Open playing video games in her hotel room, Osaka says total belief is essential to achieving major dreams.

Tennis Express

Consequently, she’s no longer reticent revealing grand ambition.

“I have always been a believer of you have to say it for it to come true and you have to believe it with all of your heart, because if even one percent of you doesn't believe it, then there is a chance that it won't come true,” Osaka said. “Like, it's one of those where there is a will there's a way, and even though it might not turn how you wanted it to, you wouldn't have that regret.”


 

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