US OPEN

September 3, 2025

Naomi Osaka

Press Conference

N. OSAKA/K. Muchova

6-4, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations. Tremendous win. Your thoughts on your performance.

NAOMI OSAKA: Yeah, I mean, definitely it was a really tough match I think for me. Honestly, I was just trying to hang in there and see if I got an opportunity.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Obviously there have been a lot of challenging moments over the past, like, 18 months leading up to this great moment. I'm curious what you have learned about yourself over this period of coming back and reaching this point again.

NAOMI OSAKA: Yeah, I mean, I learned I loved tennis way more than I thought I did, and I learned that, you know, I actually really love challenges. You know, it's like a video game. You pick it up, and even if you lose a level, you kind of just restart and keep going until you eventually win.

I think it's a little tough at some times, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Q. When you are in the middle of this, do you allow yourself to sort of pull back? I think you do a little bit, because you keep mentioning Coco and the semifinals and things like that, but once you sort of leave here, do you think about the big journey, or are you having to force yourself to just only think about sort of next matches and the fact that hopefully you have two more to play?

NAOMI OSAKA: Yeah, I mean, definitely. I think for me I appreciate the journey a lot more now. I think when I was younger, I kind of just kept thinking the next one, the next one, the next one.

Obviously I would love to appreciate everything right now, but you know, I have a match to play tomorrow. Yeah. They put the mom on last. That's crazy.

So, yeah, I'll probably tell you how much I appreciate it at the end of the tournament, which is hopefully on Saturday for me, but regardless, I'm just really grateful to be playing well in this city.

Q. I saw a bit of your ESPN interview, and you were saying you sort of had to stop comparing yourself to how other moms have progressed. I'm curious, was there a moment where you were able to let that go this summer? Was there some other moment this summer, I don't know if it was Washington or coaching change, whatever it was, that something happened that you sort of turned a page and found some new clarity?

NAOMI OSAKA: Yeah. Actually, it was obviously after Wimbledon but specifically after D.C., after I played Raducanu. I called a roundtable of my team, and I was just, like, very confused how confident I was in myself, because even though I lost, I just remember telling them, I think I can beat anyone from the baseline still even though I lost, and we just have to figure out if I have to change my game plan or if I just have to do something new and different.

Then obviously Tomasz came in the picture, and we've kind of been on a roll since then.

Q. Not a super-important question, but I thought maybe because it was the night match tonight that you would bring back the red. I'm curious if you thought the purple has become a bit of a lucky color for you?

NAOMI OSAKA: I'm sadly a little superstitious, which is weird, because I did win in the red, but I feel like the purple looks better on my skin tone too (smiling).

I took a poll, and apparently some people like the red roses more. I would say I want to bring it back, but I can't promise you.

Q. Looking ahead and also thinking about what Amanda has done to get here, what are your impressions of how she has come back from that Wimbledon defeat to arrive at this stage? And what are your thoughts about the match?

NAOMI OSAKA: Yeah, I mean, definitely for me she's always been one of the most talented players on tour. I think no one wants to see her name next to theirs, especially with what she would potentially do.

I think she's one of the players where you don't know where she's going to hit the ball kind of thing. I honestly didn't watch the Wimbledon final. Obviously I saw the scoreline, and I saw how devastated she must be, but I think to play Iga here now and to win it on home soil is something that is a really big achievement, and credit to her.

Yeah, I think the match is going to be really tough tomorrow.

Q. I just wondered during the match today how aware or how much you were looking kind of at Karolina when she was struggling physically and whether that was kind of hard for you to process?

NAOMI OSAKA: I didn't know she was struggling physically.

Q. Oh, really?

NAOMI OSAKA: I just saw she took a medical, but like, everyone gets their hamstring taped. I was, like, oh, you know...

But I figure, like, towards the end of the tournament some people are a little bit more tired than others, but I try not to think about it too much, because I didn't want to change my game plan.

Q. Naomi, you've had a lot of matches over the last couple of years where you've played well against very good players but maybe didn't quite finish. I'm curious how you took those experiences as positives or negatives and why now are you suddenly able to finish these off so easily, it seems like?

NAOMI OSAKA: Did that look easy to you (laughing)?

Q. It looked authoritative.

NAOMI OSAKA: Tiebreaker was kind of, eh. I feel like I understand what you are trying to say. Like, in the past maybe I got distracted and I could maybe pull it in on the third set, but I think, you know, now I would say I'm definitely a lot more focused and kind of aware of point structure and also, like, how important it is to try and conserve energy if you can.

I'm definitely trying to hone in a lot more.

Q. You mentioned one of the disappointments in losing to Karolina last year was the outfit that you were wearing and you lost while wearing that outfit in the second round. Are you a subscriber to the "if you look good, you feel good; if you feel good, you play good"? And your thoughts on being a fashion icon to people, not just a tennis icon.

NAOMI OSAKA: Oh, thanks. I didn't know that. Yeah, I mean, I definitely think that if you look good, you can feel good, but I'm also the type of person that thinks wearing different clothes kind of changes you into different characters kind of.

Sometimes I feel like a different person if I wear something. Yeah, for me I just feel like it's really fun. I tell literally everyone this, but I grew up in the, like, Serena, Venus, Sharapova, grand reveal era, and it's just fun to continue that.

(Naomi's answers to questions in Japanese.)

NAOMI OSAKA: I mean, definitely. This match today was really tough. I'm, honestly, not sure the speed of the ball, but I think for me I was just trying to -- like, I told myself to just hang in there until I got an opportunity and not panic and try to hit a winner or anything, which is tough, because she likes to change the pace with the slice.

Sometimes she'll hit a higher ball on her forehand, and she was really aggressive on my second serve today. But yeah, I was just trying to tell myself to stay calm. After I won the first set, I just talked to Tomasz. Yeah, we just tried to keep it going, so...

Yeah, I mean, I think for me it's really difficult to say anything about after becoming a mom, because I think the first thing I did after becoming a mom was put pressure on myself. I would always tell myself, like, if I'm away from my daughter, it has to mean something. Granted, she's here right now. She wasn't here in Montreal, though, but I think I let all of those expectations go, and I'm just trying to have fun and play and, you know, just see what happens.

If you were to ask me, like, if I gained anything -- not gained anything, but after becoming a mom, I think I'm a lot more focused than I used to be... maybe.

Aki, please. Can I get translation?

Q. Are you satisfied with today's match, and is there anything you feel you needed to improve for the next match?

NAOMI OSAKA: What am I satisfied with today's match?

I think my mentality. I think there was a lot of moments where she broke me or she was really close to getting a really crucial moment or point, and I just tried to play every point like it was the last point of the match.

Thankfully it worked out. If I needed to improve something, honestly, if I'm looking forward to my next match against Amanda, probably my second serve, because I think she has the best return on tour, so...

I have different feelings for all matches. Honestly, I was the most nervous for my first-round match and my match against Kasatkina. I don't know why. I just was. But I think for me it's very strange, the deeper I go in a tournament, the less nervous I become, unless it's a final, potentially. I don't know. I haven't been there in a while. Just because I know, like, I have to give it my best shot, and these players are winning for a reason, so...

Yeah, I mean, I think she has the ability to hit winners, come to the net, hit really hard. She has probably all of the shots in the book, and I think for me the thought that I had when I was playing was obviously I don't have as much variety as her, but I know that my pace is pretty solid, and I am probably not going to miss if I don't want to.

Yeah, I just had the game plan of being solid from the baseline, and if I had my opportunity, hit a little bit slower or hit a little bit faster and catch her off guard.