Defending champion Naomi Osaka is in the spotlight as US Open kicks off today

Monday marks the start of Naomi Osaka’s bid for a third US Open title in four years, in which she hopes to put the turmoil that surrounded her during the 2021 US Open in the past.

After becoming a four-time Grand Slam champion by beating Serena Williams in the 2018 US Open final, Osaka has a lot of steam behind her.

She hasn’t appeared in a match since, having stepped away from the French Open for missing mandatory media requirements.

As Osaka had claimed before, she felt that post-match news conferences were detrimental to her mental health, and she also decided not to compete at Wimbledon, because of the most magical moment of lighting the Olympic cauldron in Tokyo.

While she also lost in the third round at Cincinnati in August, Osaka was happy with her performance, as she said, prior to facing the pressure of the National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows where the Billie Jean King Tournament takes place.

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Osaka posted in a social media post ahead of her Monday matchup against Czech Marie Bouzkova that she wanted to begin to enjoy her successes and erase any thoughts of failure.

“I have recently asked myself why I feel the way I do, and I’ve discovered one of the reasons is because I believe I’m never good enough on the inside,” she recently explained. I don’t think of myself as having done a good job; however, I do know that I constantly tell myself that I’m doing a bad job or that I could be doing better.

My outlook on life right now is like, “If I wake up tomorrow, I’ve won,” she wrote. Life is yours to do with as you please, and you shouldn’t concern yourself with other people’s views of your worth. I know that when I give myself to something, I will be hurting, but I am done burdening myself with people’s expectations.

Since the end of last year’s spectator ban, the staff in Osaka has acknowledged that they will have to make adjustments so that fans will once again have a place to sit in the 23,771-seat Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Because the organizers recently announced that all attendees will be required to show proof of having received at least one Covid-19 vaccination, the attendance at the normally rowdy Open will be full.
With world number one Novak Djokovic poised to challenge for the top spot, World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev is scheduled to finish out the match on Ashe against unseeded Frenchman Richard Gasquet on Monday.

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The opening contest of the tournament will feature the former women’s champion Sloane Stephens taking on the current American star Madison Keys.

– Andy Murray v Stefanos Tsitsipas -Following his latest injury, Andy Murray will face a tough challenge as he faces third-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece.

It’s not an easy draw for the majority of golfers, but Murray’s 2012 US Open victory was the first of his three Grand Slam wins.