Naomi Osaka recently made her feelings known about teaming up with Gael Monfils at the US Open mixed doubles tournament. Both players are currently gearing up to compete in the singles tournament of the event.
Osaka and Monfils commenced their mixed doubles tournament campaign on August 19, where they locked horns with Lorenzo Musetti and Caty McNally in the first round. However, they fell short of advancing to the next round after being dominated by their opponents, who claimed a 5-3, 4-2 win.
Days after this upset, the Japanese player sat for a press conference at the US Open, where she was fielded questions surrounding the ins and outs of her partnership with Monfils during the mixed doubles tournament. Opening up about her bond with the French player, she revealed that they connected by talking about their kids and also planned a play date.
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Calling him a kind person, she said that he continuously reassured her of her skills while competing on the court.
"Yeah, that's my GOAT right there. He's super kind. He's exactly how I would think of when I see him just constantly telling me, like, Good point, or to keep going. Super adorable. We were talking about our kids. I was joking that we're Team Parents because we both have daughters. He was saying they should go on a play date, which I think was super cute," said Naomi Osaka.
She further opened up about how important Monfils is for her and other tennis players. Calling it a 'cool' experience to play with him, she added:
"It's kind of interesting. I don't think he knows how important of a figure he is to tennis players like me, because back when the Miami Open was the Sony Ericsson, I would literally go, like when I was 10, 12, 13, to watch him and Tsonga. I vividly remember sitting there in the heat just waiting for his specific match to come on. So to play with him was really cool."
Naomi Osaka credits Serena Williams for her service-first approach to tennis
Naomi Osaka recently competed at the Canadian Open, and ahead of her clash against Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinal round, she sat for a media conversation. Here, the Japanese player was asked whether her serve was her 'biggest weapon,' considering she never loses the first one.
Replying to this, she credited Serena Williams for her skills, revealing that the latter inspired her while growing up.
"I think for me I just grew up in an era of watching Serena, and she would be down Love 40 and hit four aces. I still think about that sometimes when I play. I also feel like it doesn't have to be an ace. I just have to hit a really good serve and see what happens, because off the baseline, I still think I'm one of the better players, so..." said Naomi Osaka.
Naomi Osaka will next be seen competing in the first round of the US Open singles tournament against Greet Minnen on August 26.
