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AUSTRALIAN OPENJanuary 23, 2016Naomi OsakaMelbourne, Victoria, Australia V. AZARENKA/N. Osaka 6-1, 6-1 THE MODERATOR: Questions, please. Q. What was your reaction when you found out that you are going to play in the Rod Laver Arena a couple days ago? NAOMI OSAKA: Excited and sort of a little bit nervous. Q. How do you think you handled the whole occasion? NAOMI OSAKA: Well, I feel like I should have tried to have a bit more fun. Yeah, I guess just a bit more fun. Q. I think you look a little bit tired. How was your condition today? NAOMI OSAKA: I think I played for two straight weeks maybe, so I was a bit tired. I mean, everyone's tired right now, so... Q. What was your impression of Azarenka? NAOMI OSAKA: She's really good (Smiling.) Q. How good is she? NAOMI OSAKA: Really good. I don't know. She's like very solid, I feel. She hits like corners very well. Q. What were your thoughts when you broke at love in the opening game? NAOMI OSAKA: Oh, I was like, It can't be this easy (Smiling.) And then she like broke me and I was like, Yeah, okay. Q. How do you evaluate your performance? NAOMI OSAKA: A bit too defensive probably, and the score is pretty terrible. Oh, God. I don't know. I feel like I was like 20 feet behind the baseline and she was just like hitting all my balls. I should have tried to step in maybe. So... Q. Do you think the scoreline doesn't tell what the exact way the match is? I mean, do you think maybe it could have been a better scoreline or the match itself is tighter than the score says? NAOMI OSAKA: I'm not sure if all the games she won were 40-Love, so maybe -- I don't know if there was like deuces. But, yeah, I kind of feel like the match was a bit more competitive. I don't know if I'm saying that to make myself feel better. But, yeah, I feel like maybe the 6-1, 6-1 doesn't tell the whole story. Q. What will you remember most from this Australian Open? NAOMI OSAKA: I guess this match, because it's like I'm learning. Honestly I'm a bit glad she beat me like this because I have like so much more to learn and I can take this as a good experience. So, yeah. Q. What will you learn from this match? Maybe you can get lessons or... NAOMI OSAKA: Well, to step in when I have the chance and I don't really have to hit as hard as I can. Just to like go forward. Yeah. Q. Victoria forced you not to step in the court? NAOMI OSAKA: I mean, the first chance she got she like hits out, so, I mean, I'm just defending from the start. And I wasn't really -- in my mind I wasn't trying to step in. Maybe if I change my mentality... Q. Your serve speeds were pretty far down compared to previous matches. Is there a big reason for that? NAOMI OSAKA: Oh, well, I strained my ab muscles, so I can't really like -- it hurts pretty bad. Q. How did it feel then to go into such a big match with an injury? NAOMI OSAKA: Like pathetic. Like I really wanted to serve, but like I couldn't. Q. Looking back, how do you feel? Are you satisfied? NAOMI OSAKA: Yeah. I'm glad I didn't lose in the quallies. I'm pretty happy with how I did. Q. You just mentioned that you were glad that maybe you lost. Could you just explain that? If you see your young career as a process, one step at a time? NAOMI OSAKA: Well, I mean, I'm glad I lost. I would also be very happy if I won. Like I say that, because if I were just to have beaten her I don't think I would learn as much. Like I can learn more from my mistakes than from winning. You know, what I mean? Q. And what do you think some of the lessons you'll get from this match are? NAOMI OSAKA: Probably just like learn how to enjoy the moment, because I was tense from the very start. Like being able to adjust to how she was playing. Not let so many things bother me. Q. What is your plan after this tournament? NAOMI OSAKA: Go to Japan. Q. Which tournament are you planning on to play? NAOMI OSAKA: Not really 100% sure. Q. What's your next goal? NAOMI OSAKA: Goal? Q. Yeah. NAOMI OSAKA: Top 50. I changed it from 100 to 50 because I'm pretty sure I can do it (laughter). Q. How about Olympics? You said before that you can't play this year Olympics because of Fed Cup. But I think you maybe misunderstand that there is exception. If you had enough ranking to qualify Olympics or Fed Cup, are you ready to play for Japan? NAOMI OSAKA: Is that possible? I didn't know that. Okay, my hopes are up. But I didn't know that. Thank you for telling me. Q. How about Tokyo Olympics? NAOMI OSAKA: Well, I kind of expect to play that, so... Yeah. Q. Through this tournament did you get more confidence to play in the tour tournaments? NAOMI OSAKA: Yeah. I mean, it wasn't that I wasn't confident. It's just Grand Slam level is a bit different. So now I'm kind of like -- I wouldn't say used to it, but I'm more comfortable now. Q. Could you tell me the goal in the future? Not only this year. NAOMI OSAKA: Oh, to be the No. 1 and to win a lot of Grand Slams and to play Fed Cup and then to play the Olympics and to be happy. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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