AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 16, 2026

Naomi Osaka

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Naomi, welcome back to Melbourne Park, somewhere where you have some great memories. Just talk us through what it was like returning and also your preparation ahead of the tournament.

NAOMI OSAKA: Yeah, I mean, I played United Cup for the first time ever, so it was a really great experience for me. Even though we lost early, it was still really fun. I was glad to be able to get two matches in.

Coming into this tournament, I feel pretty good. Yeah, I feel better. I feel healthy. So that's all I can hope for.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Haven't seen you since US Open. Wondering how you are feeling about your form? Seems like you've been able to stay on whatever wave you were on then, or is it sort of resetting after the new season starts?

NAOMI OSAKA: I mean, that's a little tough to say. Like, obviously US Open for me was really special. I can only hope to continue in that way.

But there's, you know, the off-season, there's things that I work with Tomasz. I just want to be a better player. There's some points that I regretted in the US Open. I just hope to, like, be able to look back on this tournament however it ends and not have any regrets.

Q. You mentioned you probably do have a lot of good memories here. What are some of the ones that stick out the most? Also, when you come to a place where you have a lot of good associations, are there certain things you do, certain specific routines you have here that make it different from other places that you like to pursue?

NAOMI OSAKA: Yeah, definitely. I think obviously for me, my memories have to do with I guess the two wins that I have here.

But honestly, just eating dinner with my team, going to my favorite restaurants. There are, like, routines that I like to do, like go on bike rides near the water. I was able to do that this morning, which was really fun.

Overall just try to enjoy the city the best that I can.

Q. The off-season is usually a great time to catch up on TV and movies. I saw you were posting social media about "Heated Rivalry." How did you learn about the show and what did you think about it?

NAOMI OSAKA: So one of my really good friends was telling me about "Heated Rivalry." But at the time, like, I was watching "All Her Fault," so I really wanted to get through that first. Then eventually coming here, I had a lot of time on the plane and everything. Then I eventually watched Episode 1. Then I kind of got really intrigued from there, so...

Q. You mentioned having some regrets with the US Open. Could you expand on that? Are you talking about in-match moments or anything off court?

NAOMI OSAKA: No, never off court. It was in the match. Like, I just wish I could have been more aggressive or done something different with my serve, things like that.

Overall, the US Open experience for me is always very fun.

Q. You posted back in July about the conversation with your dad, essentially about the timeline of life, treasuring the moment. I'm wondering how much of that is twofold for you, as you watch your daughter grow, but also as you're well in the depths of the second phase of your career now.

NAOMI OSAKA: Yeah, for sure I think about that moment a lot. I think about how time is always ticking. Even when I talk to my daughter now, she likes to watch my practices, which is something new, on FaceTime.

She'll call. I, like, put her on the chair. It's so cute because I can hear her say, Go, mommy, go, on the sidelines.

Honestly, things like that make me realize how much older she's getting and how she's developing. I just wish to experience so many different things with her.

I never bring her here because the flight is too long. But I hope eventually, yeah, she'll come one day.

Q. You mentioned while you're here in Melbourne there are places you like to go. Can you mention some of them? If you were to bring your daughter one day, where would you take her? What is it about Melbourne that you'd love to show her?

NAOMI OSAKA: Yeah, the restaurants I'm going to gate-keep (smiling). The places I love to go, I would say near the water. I don't even know what it's called, but there's a bike path that leads near the water here.

I like shopping here, just to even look around. I think you guys have really good stores.

But the areas that I would take my daughter, probably like children's bookstores. I love going in those because I feel like the theme is so cute, and there are so many different characters.

I also heard there's a place that you guys have here that has penguins. I would probably go there with her.

Q. So obviously you had a little bit of time from the end of Perth until now. You had the matches against Katie and Maria. What were some of the things in those matches that you learned that you were focusing on in that gap between Perth and now?

NAOMI OSAKA: Definitely it's a little tough to look back on it for me personally 'cause, like, no reason. Yeah, I think for me, I feel like the first match of the year is always really difficult because you're stressed, you just kind of want to do really well.

I think, like, when I reflect on that match, I just think about how I couldn't breathe because I was, like, coughing so much.

Honestly, I just wanted to be more aggressive and kind of more assertive with my game. I feel like I think my defense is good now, so I can almost kind of get away with it.

Yeah, I just want to play more aggressively. That's what I took away.

Q. You mentioned reading. I'm curious, reading with Shai, what that is like and what kind of books you like to read together?

NAOMI OSAKA: Yeah, she loves reading a lot. I always get books from every place that I play or every country.

So reading with her is very funny, because she'll kind of memorize the book because she loves reading so much, so we read it so often. She'll read me the next page before I get to it, which is really funny (smiling).

But yeah, I'm for me, it's such a joy because I can see her, like, eyes light up whenever I ask her if she wants to read. We have the nighttime routine of reading before bed, so...

(Naomi's answers to questions in Japanese.)

NAOMI OSAKA: Honestly, with Tomasz, I would say the thing I trained most during this off-season, he's more like decision-making for me. Like awareness on what's happening during the point. He's definitely alerting me to, like, understand that the ball that I hit was good, so go forward type of thing.

With him it's more like he trusts my shot-making, but it's the decisions to make in between that time.

Q. What was your New Year's resolution, if you had one?

NAOMI OSAKA: Okay (laughter). I would say my New Year's resolution is to be unapologetically myself. I will say this every year, but to have fun, so...

Yeah, I just want to confidently stand with the decisions that I make.

Yeah, I mean, first I think the theme of the movie was really important, and also just to...

I don't know, it was a really big honor for me to be associated, as well. I also feel like it's tough. Like that part of tennis or that world, there's like a side that you don't really see or a lot of people don't really talk about.

Just I would say for people to be aware that, you know, that happens, could potentially be really important. Then also, yeah, I just felt like the story was really incredible. I'm glad you watched it (smiling).

Yeah, I mean, it's definitely really sad for me personally. I always think of Kei, he's like the guy that was holding Japanese tennis up so high for so long. I saw him a couple days ago. I was really excited. I wanted to go watch his match actually. It's sad that he pulled out.

I don't know. I still remember the US Open, we both went to the semis. It was just so fun. He was, like, inviting me to dinners. As a young kid, I was so excited just to have the opportunity to spend time with him.

I'm really grateful for him. I hope that he gets healthy soon. I hope that I'm able to watch him play.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

NAOMI OSAKA: Thank you.