"I imagine myself in her shoes and it's a little bit scary, but you want people to lend their voice and ask questions" - Naomi Osaka on Peng Shuai's situation

Naomi Osaka gave her thoughts on a variety of topics during her press conference after reaching the third round of the 2022 Australian Open on Wednesday. The Japanese spoke about Peng Shuai's situation in China, as well as her own game and prospects at the Melbourne Slam.

Peng Shuai, formerly ranked as high as No. 14, disappeared after accusing former Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault. Although she had a video call with IOC President Thomas Bach and recently appeared in public, there are still concerns over her well-being and freedom.

The WTA, the governing body of women's tennis, has severed ties with China amid concerns over her safety, while a host of players, including Osaka, have expressed their support for Peng.

When asked whether it was her own moral compass or the fact that she shared the locker room with the Chinese that prompted Osaka to speak out, the Japanese said it was a combination of both.

The Japanese also said that while she finds it "really hard to come out of her shell", she would love to connect with Peng in the future.

"You know, I would say it's a little bit of both. I'm not the type of player that interacts with a lot of players. Not in like a bad way, I just find it really hard to come out of my shell," Osaka said. "Besides that point, if I see her, I would say hi to her and stuff like that."

The Japanese admitted that being in Peng's situation would be a scary proposition for her.

"You know, you don't really -- this is a hard one to describe. I feel like if I was in her position, I would want people to care for me too. So it's like one of those things. Like I imagine myself in her shoes, and in that way, it's a little bit scary. But you kind of want to lend your voice and you want people to, you know, ask the questions," Osaka added.

"I'm trying to build the point and stuff, kind of build a tennis IQ" - Naomi Osaka on her new approach

During the press conference, the four-time Major winner was also asked about her level of play in her second-round win over Madison Brengle. After taking the opening set 6-0, the Japanese suffered a second-set wobble, which briefly allowed the American to take the lead.

Osaka hit back immediately to win three straight games and seal a 6-0, 6-4 win. Nevetheless, the Japanese admitted that she was "really disappointed" with her play in that game.

The Japanese did add, however, that such hiccups during early-round matches would help her mentally as she progressed deeper into a Slam.

"Yeah, I mean, in that moment of course I was really disappointed with myself, but I also think these are the types of matches that I need to play in Grand Slams to get broken and to figure out a way to fight back in really crucial times, Osaka said.

"I thought that for me, you know, I kind of rushed a lot in that specific service game, and you could kind of tell I was a bit shaky."

The Japanese burst onto the scene as something of a ball-basher but she has since reigned in a lot of her aggression and is more patient in points. When asked if she would ever consider "dialing up to full power again," she laughed off the question and said it would not work for her.

"I could try it, but it probably wouldn't go in (smiling)," Osaka said. "But, yeah, I feel like for me, I only try to do those shots if I'm 100% sure it will go in, so that's why I don't really do it that often. That's probably why I did it a lot when I was younger."

Osaka stressed that she has started placing a lot of importance on point construction.

"For me, I don't really feel a need to attempt those shots as much right now, because I'm trying to, like, build the point and stuff, kind of build a better tennis IQ. Yeah."

The Japanese will face USA's Amanda Anisimova for a place in the second week of the 2022 Australian Open.