Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, 25, admits she was unprepared for what was to come after her first Major victory. In the 2018 US Open final, Osaka stunned Serena Williams to lift her first Grand Slam title.
At the time of her US Open victory, Osaka was only 20 years old. Shortly after her first Grand Slam triumph, Osaka quickly became one of the most popular players and landed several lucrative endorsement and endorsement deals.
It was a whole new world for Osaka, who was often described as an introvert. «For me, it all started here, however, many years ago when I won my first Slam. But I wasn’t really prepared for everything that happened after that.
I don’t think anything in the world can,» Osaka said during a panel discussion, according to Sportskeeda.
Osaka on adjusting to what was her new reality
«I grew up very, I don’t want to say sheltered, but I knew five people.
Suddenly there’s all these new people and I’m like, damn, what they say really matters because I grew up like my parents and my sisters and my family members. His words carry a lot of weight. So I am like all these people and their words must also carry a lot of weight.
So it took me a long time to realize that I can put power into what people say. It means nothing to me, so what they say immediately becomes irrelevant and that’s where I’m at right now,» Osaka added.
Since then, Osaka has become the highest paid female athlete in the world. Recently, Ella Osaka announced that she will launch a media company in partnership with NBA superstar LeBron James. Explaining her decision, Osaka said, «For me, I’ve wanted to test new waters. I’m a very challenging person, the more difficult something seems, the more I want to try doing it.»
