Tennis champ Naomi Osaka on how she’s changed her mindset
“I try and think about the fact that I’ve worked my entire life to be in this position, and there are a lot of people who want to be here.”
During the [10-and-a-half-month-long tennis] tournament season, I’m traveling to a different country every week or two. My older sister [tennis player Mari Osaka] is my best friend—I call her a lot when I’m on the road. Growing up, she was my hitting partner, and my dad was my coach. He’s actually coaching me now at the Japan Women’s Open. The training was harder when I was younger. I used to spend all my time on the court. We would literally eat lunch sitting on the ground. During the off-season, I have a rigid fitness schedule. I work on my fitness for an hour in the morning and then practice for a couple of hours. I hit for two more hours in the afternoon. Before a game, I listen to up-tempo music to get in the zone. Today, I listened to [hip-hop artist] DaBaby.