The Sunday Mail
Most tennis players dream of winning a grand slam title, but very few get anywhere close.
At the age of 21, Naomi Osaka has two grand slam titles and when she woke up last Monday morning, she found Number 1 next to her name on the world ranking list.
It certainly doesn’t get any better than this.
Yet it could do, and quickly for that matter.
Osaka’s victory over Petra Kvitova in last weekend’s Australian Open final not only sealed her place at the top of the game but also proved her win at the US Open was no flash in the pan.
Though Serena Williams, whom she beat in New York, will continue to chase the two grand slam titles she needs to break the all-time record of 24, Osaka is well-placed to usurp her as the biggest player in the sport.
Consider the facts.
Osaka is the first woman to win consecutive grand slam titles since Williams in 2015.
She is the first woman to follow her maiden grand slam title by winning the next one since Jennifer Capriati in 2001.
Going into 2018, she had not won a title and was ranked 72; but in the space of 10 months she has won three big tournaments, Indian Wells, the US Open and the Australian Open.
Consistent, powerful, a superb athlete and with an ability to find inner calm under pressure, she has everything required to stay at the top.
However, just a couple of hours after her victory here Osaka said she felt her success had been a long time coming.
“In my mind, I would have liked to win this tournament last year, and I still have nightmares about a forehand I hit against [Simona] Halep when I had break point and I hit it out,” she said.
“She went to the final after I lost to her.
“In the French Open, I played against [Madison] Keys and she went to the semis. I feel like every match I play, I have chances, so it always haunts me.
“If you are talking about if I thought I would win another grand slam before the US Open, I think possibly Wimbledon.
“I would have thought I had a chance, but then [Angelique] Kerber destroyed me. It just felt like learning experiences.”
She has learned fast.
The $2.95m she picked up for winning in Melbourne takes her career earnings through the $10m mark but her off-court earnings are likely to dwarf those in the years to come.
Osaka had already signed four sponsorship deals since the US Open and, with her stock rising even more, the Japanese market alone will be hugely lucrative.
The French Open and Wimbledon will soon be on the agenda. – Guardian
