Naomi OSAKA (JPN) at the Paink mural which is part of ACE 2021 Day 14 of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Sunday, February 21, 2021. MANDATORY PHOTO CREDIT Tennis Australia/ FIONA HAMILTON
Naomi Osaka’s Australian Open triumph went into orbit yesterday as a Japanese astronaut sent greetings from the international space station.
Astronaut Soichi Noguchi wrote: “Naomi Osaka, congratulations on the victory.”
And Japanese media went into overdrive predicting a gold medal for Osaka at the Tokyo Olympics later this year.
“Osaka is a step closer to gold at the Tokyo Olympics,” the Nikkan sport daily wrote.
Osaka spoke during a photo call in Melbourne today, saying she took a two-hour nap after she beat Jennifer Brady in the women’s singles final yesterday, but then said she was already focusing on Wimbledon and Roland Garros.
“The biggest thing I did was take a nap and I won and now I’m here,” she said. “So hopefully I can celebrate a bit more now.
“Bit for me I think the biggest goal right nome is to win Wimbledon or the French Open.
“I think everyone knows that I can do well on hardcourt, but for me I just want to get comfortable on the other surfaces.
“It’s an honour to be this conversation but I also feel my biggest goal is to be more consistent throughout the year, not just randomly popping up and winning a Grand Slam.”
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