US OPEN

September 3, 2026

Naomi Osaka

Press Conference

N. OSAKA/K. Siniakova

6-2, 5-7, 6-1

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations. Hard-fought win. Your thoughts?

NAOMI OSAKA: Yeah, I mean, obviously the match was really difficult. I think on my end it was more, like, mentally I wanted to play perfectly. Obviously that's not going to happen every day.

In the third set, I just tried to do what I could do, and thankfully I was able to win.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Just curious, obviously you have a lot of experience. How important is it to just get over kind of any mental difficulties you have in the first few rounds and just kind of survive?

NAOMI OSAKA: Yeah, I guess I do have a lot of experience. I mean, I would say every match is very different, but I am able to play -- or pull from the matches that I've played in the past. I think obviously when it gets to the third set, I try to think of all of the matches I was able to pull through.

I feel like today, like, the scoreline, I wasn't really paying attention too much in the second set, but I do think that I was ahead, and I kind of let it slip through my fingers. So I was trying to tell myself in the third set, like, keep going and keep trying to take the opportunities.

Q. Speaking of being a veteran a bit, it's been ten years since you started playing Grand Slam tournaments, Australian Open 2016.

NAOMI OSAKA: Yikes.

Q. I remember when you first came on tour. I'm curious what you remember about that whole experience of just coming in and being a top-level player?

NAOMI OSAKA: I think I played quallies of Australia, right? Yeah. Is that the one that I played Svitolina?

I don't know. I felt like a young kid just kind of looking up to all of these professionals, because I didn't think of myself as professional at the time.

It was just so much fun, especially Australia. I always watched on TV, but I've never been there. So I remember, like, going on the site and trying to experience everything in person.

Yeah, it was definitely a lot of fun memories.

Q. I don't know if you've been aware, but there's been discourse about influencers, and I guess during your last match, you know, I guess -- it's gone viral pretty much. I don't know if you've seen it or not. I'm just curious, were you at all really distracted by what was going on? What are your thoughts on that whole discussion?

NAOMI OSAKA: I mean, I was going to say today the umpire, she told everyone to quiet -- like, be quiet more than I've ever heard an umpire tell a crowd to be quiet.

I do think in my first match, I wasn't really paying attention. I tell people I normally just focus on the match and the court, but there was a moment where there was, like, people shouting and stuff, and you could hear it quite clearly. I think it bothered my opponent, too.

Maybe that's what you were talking about, but I've heard some people say, like, the lights or whatever. I don't really see the lights, because obviously, like, when you are serving, you're looking at the sun or you're looking at the night lights. It was more the noise.

Q. Then a quick follow-up. Also thinking back to round one, I know in your first-round press conference you mentioned wanting to hide your braids. Was that more so for the reveal of it all?

NAOMI OSAKA: Yes. I just want to be very clear. Vanessa is a black woman.

No, hiding the braids was because I didn't want anyone to see, like, the design. That's what it was, so...

Q. You said a moment ago that you can draw on past matches when you're in different situations. Some players like to block out the past completely. What do you gain from thinking about some of the high-quality matches you've played in the past, maybe even the championships here?

NAOMI OSAKA: I mean, on my end, I'm quite fortunate to have a lot of high-quality matches that went in my favor. Especially, like, whenever I think of going into the third set and I need to regroup, I literally only specifically think of the 2021 Australian Open Final.

Then it's just like you can just pull from your memory bank for every certain situation that you need to get finished. I think that's, like, the best thing about being a more experienced player. You've been able to play so many different matches in different situations.

Here obviously I've had a lot of good memories, and I hope to continue making them.

Q. Do you think that this will be one of those matches, obviously you reset really well for the third set, that you'll draw on in the future? Is there anything that you think particularly stands out about this win?

NAOMI OSAKA: I mean, on my end, yeah, I'd want to draw from it in the future, but in a way to, like, reference not having to play a third set.

I think, you know, obviously she's an amazing player, but I felt like I definitely had a lot of opportunities, that I was a little bit too frantic. I was thinking too much about closing. I feel like if I played point by point, I wouldn't have made some of the decisions that I did, so yeah.

Q. A follow-up on Christian. I think the situation he referenced was a big group of people not really attention to the tennis at all, making videos and stuff. Just in general on the USTA inviting a lot of influencers, there are some that do a lot of good also to bring tennis up, but how do you see it and the balance between this new generation, bringing new fans, and the tradition of tennis?

NAOMI OSAKA: I mean, that's a really tough question. I think obviously if you come to a sporting event, you have to respect the sport. And I feel like it's common courtesy to, like, read up on the sport, especially, like, the etiquette.

I mean, I feel like it could be a good thing for people to make the sport of tennis popular to their specific audience, but I think it has to be managed a lot better, especially in the situation like first-round match.

Yeah, overall I think there is huge positives, and I'm not the one to, like -- what do you say? Like, you want people to continue to grow the sport. I just think it has to be in a way that everyone knows the rules and the etiquette.

(Naomi answers questions in Japanese.)

NAOMI OSAKA: Yeah, I think this match, I had moments where I dipped, definitely. I feel like obviously on my serve I want to hold my serve at all times, and there were specific moments where I didn't. I was just really hard on myself, and it made me, I guess, overanalyze the situation. The first set was definitely really good. Halfway into the second set was good. Then the third set I think I was just focused the entire time, but she played really good. I haven't played her since last year, and that was on grass. So it was a nice reminder on how good of a player she is.

Yeah, I think, honestly, since I felt more, like, fit, like, I'm able to get a lot more balls back. I kind of have a bad habit of wanting to watch what the other person does. While that's a good thing, sometimes I wish I would commit more to hitting the balls, because there are certain rallies that I remember in my head from today that I could have probably pushed more, but I was waiting to see what she was doing. Yeah, I feel like that's something that I have to talk to Tomasz about. Thankfully I won my match, so I get another chance.

Yeah, I mean, there definitely wasn't any wind today that I could tell. I think I can only speak for myself on why I was doing it. I felt like I was really nervous, so the ball kept rolling in my hand. Then it just kept, like, going everywhere. I felt really bad for constantly catching the ball, so sometimes I would hit it even though it was in a bad position, and then I'd, like, double fault. Yeah, on my end it was just, like, nerves a little bit, uncomfortability. I just have to get a little bit more used to it.