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CHINA OPEN

October 6, 2019

Naomi Osaka

Beijing, China

N. OSAKA/A. Barty

3-6, 6-3, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Talk through the match, how you felt out there.
NAOMI OSAKA: Yeah, I mean, in the first set honestly all I could think about was how much I wanted to win. That made me very emotional. I think that was pretty obvious. Like, I think you can see that from the outside.

In the second set, I just tried to rationalize everything.

Then in the third set, just continue what I was doing in the second.

Q. How does it feel to win two tournaments in a row?
NAOMI OSAKA: I mean, it feels good. For me, this was my goal. Like, after I lost in the US Open, I pretty much don't want to say I planned, but I really, like, meditated on it. It just feels like I accomplished what I set out to do.

Q. On the on-court interview you said you wanted to prove something. What did you want to prove?
NAOMI OSAKA: Well, it's more to myself. Just like even when I have bad days, I can still find a way to win type thing.

Yeah, for me, I didn't play those two tournaments for myself, I kind of played them for my team because the US Open wasn't that great, and I felt very apologetic.

I don't know, it was more like that.

Q. You had a couple of coaching changes this year. Recently your dad started coaching you. How would you say he's helped you with your recent success?
NAOMI OSAKA: He's annoyed me so much that it just makes me angry, and I use the anger as a fuel to win (smiling).

The thing with my dad is, like, he keeps it very simple. He knows my personality because, like, he's my dad. Most of the time he doesn't even really say anything. He just waits for me to figure it out. After, we sort of talk about it.

He's not a very dominating presence. Like, this is the first time he watched my matches in a couple years, like in the box.

Q. Can you see yourself sticking with him for a while or are you thinking of making another change?
NAOMI OSAKA: Deuces. It was good while it lasted (laughter).

He's always there, you know. But I don't think he can handle it. Like, not even just saying this, but he doesn't like watching my matches. I think it stresses him out because he, like, twitches every time I hit a ball.

So, yeah, I feel like after US Open I asked him, Can you please come with me to Asia?

He said he'll take the role very seriously, but I don't think it's a long-term thing.

Q. You had been saying you felt like the underdog. Do you still feel like the underdog? What did you think of the conditions? Did they suit your game?
NAOMI OSAKA: I mean, yeah, I still felt like the underdog. Results-wise she's had a way better 2019 I think. She's ranked higher than me. People look at that going into it. Not necessarily current form or whatever. I think you would have to really be into tennis to look at that.

Conditions-wise, for me it's not really a secret, I love the heat. I was kind of sad when it started becoming colder. Yeah, I'm not really too much of an analyst so I can't say if the colder conditions helped my game.

Is it supposed to make the ball travel faster? Yeah, I don't know either (laughter).

Q. You won two titles in a row. You're on a winning streak. Does it worry you the pressure from the outside might come back to you again, or maybe you have a better solution now?
NAOMI OSAKA: Yeah, I mean, I honestly don't care any more. That's my mentality going into it. For me, I feel like I figured that out after Europe, then slowly started perfecting it during the hard court swing.

Honestly, I don't think I'll ever feel the same way that I felt again, like, right after Australia. There's no way, like no way that's possible.

Q. Back on the conditions. Ash was in here before talking about the conditions. She described them as sterile, a bit unresponsive. She didn't feel she got much out of her slice and couldn't get the ball out of your hip pocket.
NAOMI OSAKA: Geez.

Q. Because you played her a couple times now, did you feel that maybe tonight? Did you feel the conditions suited you a bit more?
NAOMI OSAKA: I'm thinking, she was aiming there the entire time? When I hit a slice, I just pray that it goes cross-court. But she's aiming for my hip?

Oh, my God, I'm sorry (laughter).

Q. I'm not sure she was aiming for your hip, but she couldn't get it out of your hip pocket.
NAOMI OSAKA: For me, it's funny how different people are. Honestly, you can throw me in any condition, I'm so clueless I wouldn't be able to tell anything. The only thing I can tell is if it's raining or not. It's just funny to me that you said she, like, perfectly described the conditions.

Man, I don't know. It was cold. It was dark. Like, I did not see the sun. That's it, yeah. I'm very clueless when it comes to stuff like that.

Q. The first set it seemed like the one service game, but otherwise pretty even. How long did it take to snap out of the disappointment or stress of the opening set, because you were holding pretty easily? In terms of your game against her game, do you think you neutralized her slice?
NAOMI OSAKA: Yeah, I mean, after I finished crying, like, I actually double-faulted on the point, but I did have a point to stay on serve. So I just told myself if I stop being so dramatic I could honestly, like, contest it. I think that's what I did in the second and third.

Honestly, I don't think I do too much when she slices. I just try to get it back cross-court. Yeah, I just feel like I played a returner-style game more today.

Q. I didn't see you crying.
NAOMI OSAKA: I wasn't crying, no, nuh-uh (smiling).

Q. At what point were you not crying? What was behind the not crying?
NAOMI OSAKA: That didn't happen. I did not say that (laughter).

Q. I'll ask something else. Back to after the Australian Open. You said, I don't think I'll ever care like that again. What did you mean by that?
NAOMI OSAKA: I honestly was counting the ranking points. I was too stats oriented after I won Australian Open because there was this big thing about you're No. 1 now. Then I felt like I shouldn't lose a match after that.

So, yeah, I think this dip that I had really humbled me. It made me very motivated to, like, be here right now, so...

Q. Sports Pro Media makes you one of the players with the highest commercial value. Any thoughts on the commercial value like Sharapova?
NAOMI OSAKA: I mean, for me, I don't really think too much about that. I let my agent sort of decide. Well, not decide, but he filters stuff out for me.

For me, I just do what I've been doing for, like, 21 years, which is play tennis. That's the main thing for me. That's the thing that I've done every day of my life and what gives me most joy.

I think, like, commercial whatever is something that I'll think about later on in life.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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