MELBOURNE (Australia): World No. 3 tennis player Naomi Osaka said becoming world number one felt slightly underwhelming and brought extra pressure.
“I think nobody really acknowledged me as number one,” said Osaka at a press conference.
“It just made me think people don’t really see me as number one. I just kept trying to prove myself. I felt like that wasn’t really a good mindset to have.
“If it comes to the point where I’m able to be number one again, I’ll embrace it, but I’m not really chasing it like that anymore.”
The 23-year-old hoped to be a more consistent on the tour and gained inspiration from world No.2 Simona Halep, who has been ranked in the top 10 for 346 consecutive weeks.
“I think that’s incredible,” Osaka said. “I feel like I want to have that sort of consistency. My career, it’s been kind of up and down a lot, and people don’t really know when I’m going to do well in a tournament or when I’m not.”
“I think my ultimate goal is just to at least reach the quarter-finals or better at every tournament I play, and hopefully win most of them.”
