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BNP PARIBAS OPEN

March 11, 2018

Naomi Osaka

Indian Wells, California

N. OSAKA/S. Vickery

6-3, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. I don't think that scoreline probably indicates how tight that match was out there. Can you talk through just kind of what challenges she presented and how you were able to solve it?
NAOMI OSAKA: What was the score?

Q. 6-3, 6-3.
NAOMI OSAKA: Oh, wow. Felt a lot closer than that.

Of course she's a really good mover. And I think, like, that and also just like the shots she would play at certain times, that was really difficult.

Yeah, I'm just really happy I was able to win in straight sets. I felt like maybe before I would have gotten really frustrated and taken longer than it should have.

Q. Looked like the frustration was starting to kick in a little bit in that second set. So when she broke back, how did you sort of calm things down and get over the line?
NAOMI OSAKA: Well, I just -- I kind of forgot the score, so I thought that she was up a break, but then I realized that it was still even. So I just tried to collect myself and just think we were on equal footing, anyways, and I didn't really lose much. So just stayed positive in that sense.

Q. Sachia is really tricky opponent and she's rushing for everything and serves quick. So maybe she's kind of opponent who is tough for you to make a rhythm? Is that the matter for today's match?
NAOMI OSAKA: No, not really. I think it was, like, her athletic ability. She was running everything down and it was hard for me to end the point. So I think that would have been the main reason why it was hard for me.

Q. Seems like you were trying to overpower her a little bit.
NAOMI OSAKA: No, I wasn't really trying to overpower her. I just knew that if I hit hard every ball that she would use my pace, so I was trying to wait and pick my shots. So if it looked like I was trying to overpower it, it was sort of a little bit the opposite.

Q. Did you feel these three matches just mentally the way -- because the game has always kind of been there, but just kind of being able to deal with the tricky situation playing Sharapova and the trickiness of Radwanska, and then today just mentally it seems like you should be pretty proud of that effort.
NAOMI OSAKA: Yeah, I feel like I grew a lot these past two years. I have always known that my game was good enough. Just mentally I wasn't always there most of the time. So I'm trying to, like, fix that a little bit.

Yeah, I'm just -- I just think that here I should show respect to everyone I'm playing. And I know they're going to try their best, so I should always try my best, too. Yeah, there is a lot of people I would love to play this tournament, and I'm really grateful to be here.

Q. Did they ask you about Taro's win today?
NAOMI OSAKA: No, they didn't.

Q. Did you get to see any of that match or what did you make of that?
NAOMI OSAKA: I saw the first set. I was playing a video game on my computer, looked back. He was winning the third set. It was 4-1. I went to do something, like, for five minutes. I look back and he won. I was, like, what happened?

So, yeah, I didn't see the end, but I saw him talking to the reporter and then it cut to commercial.

Q. Just your reaction?
NAOMI OSAKA: Yay (smiling). It's kind of weird, because I can talk to him on Twitter, but I can't talk to him in real life, because literally he would be coming and I would be, like (nodding head) and then we would just pass. I think -- I don't know. I tried to say congratulations, but all I did was (nodding head). Like, I don't understand. But other than that, good job for him.

Q. Just, you know, with her tricky game, the quick serving, you know, kind of all the tension and weirdness on the court, was this one of the trickier matches, even setting side the tennis side of things that you've had to play, where you have had to manage frustrations and things like that?
NAOMI OSAKA: What tension do you...

Q. Sounds like from the conversations there might have been something coming from her box that was putting you off. If that's not true, then that's fine. I don't know.
NAOMI OSAKA: Oh, no. I was completely focused on the match and stuff. I mean, I just think we both wanted to win really bad. I don't think either of us have been in this situation before.

So, yeah, I mean, I was just really focused on the match. And whenever I get upset, it's because when I make mistakes and stuff. So it wasn't anything that had to do with her.

Q. Asking about Sakkari, how well do you know her and what do you expect from that match?
NAOMI OSAKA: Well, I mean, I know her because she says hi to me and stuff. I have practiced with her once in 2016.

But, yeah, I mean, I have watched her play and stuff. Before my match, I was watching her play CoCo a bit, and then I sort of stopped watching.

But, yeah, I feel like it would be a really fun match. She's really athletic. I know she gets really pumped. I'm just looking forward to it.

Q. Back to today's match. On the second set, you called the coach, Sascha, and then you broke back again. So during that conversation, what kind of advices did he give you and what did you told to yourself?
NAOMI OSAKA: Well, he was basically telling me that I was doing a good job, which I didn't want to hear (smiling). He was saying, like, telling me that I'm doing -- my serve is good. I just need to, like -- huh. It's weird. I always forget what he told me.

Q. So what did you talk to yourself?
NAOMI OSAKA: I didn't talk to myself.

Q. I mean, what kind of stuff are you trying to do in order to break her again?
NAOMI OSAKA: Just keep the point going until I get a chance. And, yeah, basically that's it. I didn't want to hit too hard because she would use the pace. She was really good -- like, I hit this one serve and it just came. Like, I blinked and it came back. So I knew she would use pace really well, so I didn't really want to do that too much.

So I was kind of basically waiting until I got a chance and that's what I felt the match was.

Q. I don't know what time you can get sleep tonight, but what time do you usually, you know, get to bed? How long do you want to sleep?
NAOMI OSAKA: I sleep at (in Japanese). Yeah, I sleep at 9:00 normally, or I try to, and I wake up at 6:30ish. But usually after my matches I wake up at 5:00, and then I have a really bad, like, sleepiness throughout the entire day, so looking forward to that.

Q. Are you excited now or you are very calm?
NAOMI OSAKA: Now?

Q. Now, yeah.
NAOMI OSAKA: No, I'm hungry and I'm sleepy. I mean, those are the main two feelings I have right now.

Q. You have played a lot of tennis, though. Other than hunger and sleep, how are you feeling physically? Do you feel like you have the stamina that you need?
NAOMI OSAKA: Well, I feel like, for me, every match it's easier. Like, I don't know how to explain it, but my body gets more used to the matches the more matches I play.

So that's not really a big concern for me, because I feel like I gain stamina the longer it goes. So, yeah, I'm not too worried about it.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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