Tennis Star Naomi Osaka Admits Being A Pokemon Fan Amidst Recent Australian Open Win
Up-and-coming tennis star Naomi Osaka surprised the press not after her advancement to the third round of the Autralian Open, but by declaring that she is a Pokemon fan.
After beating eighth-seeded Elina Svitolina at 6-4, 6-4, Osaka said in an interview that she gets her motivation from the Pokemon quote," to be the very best, like no one ever was."
"That's a Pokemon quote, I'm sorry," she told New York Times. "That's the Pokemon theme song. But, yeah, to be the very best, and go as far as I can go."
As reported by Business Insider, Osaka, who is currently ranked 127th in the world, used an impressively powerful serve all throughout the match while remaining to be steadily emotionless, leading Svitolina to be visibly frustrated during the game.
Japan's pride or self-described as "child of the internet," the 18-year-old tennis player qualified for the main women's draw by winning all three of her qualifying matches. She lives and trains permanently in Florida, however, she plays under the Japanese flag as she was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and a Haitian father, who is also her coach.
Moreover, the Pokemon fan has been observed to be emotionless during her matches.
"Just genetically my face is like this. I'm sorry," Osaka said. "I feel like there's something wrong with me because I don't get excited or anything that much."
"In my brain I'm going, 'Oh, my God, why' about like 90 per cent of the time., Osaka said. "But, you know, I feel like I try to smile sometimes just so I don't throw my racket," she added.
Osaka may be new to WTA fans, but she already made a mark as she upset former world no. 1 Samantha Stosur with aggressive and powerful shots, including a 100-mile forehand at the age of 16.
In addition, this tennis player has been noticed by Serena Williams due to her aggressiveness and talent during her games.
At a young age Naomi Osaka is someone that the women tennis world will definitely look forward to, possibly even "the very best, like no one ever was," as she quoted her Pokemon mantra.
