'I DOUBLED MY WILDEST DREAMS AND YET...': OSAKA MAKES 'PROMISE' AFTER FATHER'S WORDS

(Getty/Hannah Peters)

In a career that has braved a rollercoaster of emotions, four-time major champion Naomi Osaka might have unlocked the key to long-term happiness after an eye-opening conversation with her father.

Despite equalling her best Wimbledon result at the third-round stage, Osaka was far from optimistic.

"I'm just going to be a negative human being today. I'm so sorry. I have nothing positive to say about myself, which is something I'm working on," she told reporters shortly after her loss against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

"I feel like, while I still have the opportunity to try to [compete], I want to.

"Even though I get very upset when I lose, I think that's my competitive nature."

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In January 2024, Osaka returned to the WTA Tour after taking time off to welcome her daughter Shai into the world.

Since then, she has struggled to regain her most devastating form, which saw her climb to world No.1.

The 27-year-old has also battled with mental health over the past few years, dating back to Roland-Garros four years ago when she withdrew before her second-round match after revealing she was trying to overcome depression and anxiety.

However, a recent light-hearted conversation with her father has shed light on a healthy new perspective.

"He told me how, at 59-years-old, he feels closer to the end of his life than the beginning, and it's made him want to enjoy and treasure the years he has left," she wrote on Instagram.

After sharing that her father found Osaka's tennis career to be similar, the Japanese star added: "When we first had this conversation, I stared at him blankly. I didn't really understand what he was trying to say to me... After a couple of days, a realisation suddenly hit me. I've been playing tennis since I was 3... I've lived almost my entire life playing this sport, and I guess it's true, I am closer to the end than the beginning.

"When I was younger my dream was to hold the US Open trophy, winning it seemed like a fairy tale so I just wanted the chance to hold it and look inside because my mom had told me a story about there being fairy dust at the bottom of the trophy. Miraculously, I have 2 of those trophies now. That means I doubled my wildest dreams and yet somehow I let my expectations of myself and the expectations of others prevent me from enjoying the rest of my journey no matter how long or short it may be.

"Writing this to make a promise with myself to enjoy the times and be at peace travelling and seeing my daughter reap the fruits of my labor."

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