Naomi Osaka sends warning to competition at Australian Open with bold statement of intent: "I am a different person now"

Naomi Osaka has sent a big warning to the rest of the competition at the 2025 Australian Open, reminding everyone she is not the player anymore they knew some time ago. The Japanese superstar will be looking to win her fifth Slam overall and third title in Melbourne this fortnight.

Osaka started her year at the ASB Classic in Auckland, reaching the final. However, after winning the first set against Claura Tauson, she had to withdraw with an unexpected injury and left the court in tears.

Thankfully, all appears well for the former World No. 1 now, who has arrived in Melbourne full of confidence, despite the final loss. Speaking at her pre-tournament press conference on Friday, Osaka asserted that her mindset is as clear as it can be and that she foresaw herself making a good run at Melbourne Park over the next few days.

To put things in perspective, the run to the final in Auckland marked her first time reaching a final as a mother, since she returned to the tour in 2024 after giving birth to her daughter Shai.

"Yeah, I think my mindset now is probably the most clear it's been in a very long time. Obviously I did pretty well in Auckland. Like, I know I lost, debatably lost in the final. In my head I kind of won it. For me, that's definitely a new career stat because I've only ever been to the semis in tournaments before this one."

I'm really excited to play here. I'm also excited to be here with Patrick because we technically haven't lost yet. So yeah, it's going to be a good run I think," Naomi Osaka said.

Having slowly added to her growing arsenal of weapons over the last year, Naomi Osaka was confident that she finally has what it takes to back up her mindset with results under her belt.

"Very transparently, for me I feel like the tennis was kind of always there in a way. It was just the belief of feeling like I can string together victories if the conditions were bad or if I thought I wasn't playing as well as I could have. I feel like I've learned that throughout the course of 2024 and I guess Auckland as well. Yeah, I would say I am a little bit of a different person now, hopefully," Naomi Osaka added.

In addition to the mindset change, Naomi Osaka has also made a major coaching change to start the 2025 season, hiring ex-Serena Williams coach Patrick Mouratoglou.

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Naomi Osaka reveals what she is doing to keep her mental health stable

2025 Australian Open Previews - Source: Getty

At the press conference, Naomi Osaka was also asked about what she is doing in particular to help with her mental health. The four-time Grand Slam champ revealed that she likes to meditate and write in her notebook among other things, all of which were designed to keep her mind in peace.

"What am I doing every day? I meditate. Sometimes I listen to I guess water noises, like rain or ocean or forest noises. I also like to write in my notebook a lot just to keep track of my thoughts," Naomi Osaka said.

Naomi Osaka will open her 2025 Australian Open campaign against Caroline Garcia.