Naomi Osaka on winning Olympic gold: “It’s always been a dream of mine”

Having won the last two tennis majors played on hard courts, you can’t blame Naomi Osaka for dreaming big dreams when it comes to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics in 2021.

“For me, it’s always been a dream of mine,” Osaka told ITF Tennis in a recent interview. “I have allowed myself to dream that dream of winning the gold medal.”

The Olympic Games in Tokyo are set to be played on the same surface as the U.S. and Australian Opens, where Osaka has triumphed – twice. She won her third and fourth majors, respectively, in the last seven months, capturing the USO in September and the AO in February.

Osaka a big fan of Usain Bolt

In the last several years, Osaka has become a national sporting hero in Japan, where she was born to a Japanese mother and Haitian father.

“As a kid you wake up and watch your favourite athletes play [in the Games],” said Osaka, who spent much of her childhood in the U.S. “My most outstanding Olympic memory is just watching [Usain] Bolt run. He’s my favourite athlete; me and my whole family. My dad loves his running, so we would just watch him.”

Osaka is the current world No.2 on the WTA, with seven singles titles to her name.

Naomi Osaka: 'It's going to be one-of-a-kind'

“I’m really looking forward to competing in the Olympics. Representing Japan really means a lot to me. ... It’s definitely really exciting; it’s one of my life goals,” she said in a video interview, which was conducted at a WTA event in Miami last month.

“It’s [not going] to be easy,” she said. “It’s not even July yet, so I’m just going to chill.”

The Games are set to get underway 23 July, with tennis taking place in the first week. The 64 players in the singles draw will be confirmed in late June, but Osaka has her ticket all but punched as a top-tier player.

“What I’m most looking forward to being in Tokyo at the Olympics is the atmosphere,” she said. “It’s definitely going to be one-of-a-kind. It’s something that’s going to be etched in my mind forever.”

Osaka names her favourite Olympic sports

In late 2019, Osaka told Olympic Channel she was already looking forward to the Games, which have since been delayed by a year. She has doubled her Grand Slam count since then, and in February beat fellow major winners Serena Williams and Garbiñe Muguruza (whom she saved two match points against) en route to her title in Melbourne.

“I’ve never played the Olympics before,” she said in 2019. “Every athlete wants to be an Olympian. I’m looking forward to everything, including the [Opening] Ceremony. I think it’s a very big honour to even be participating.”

“Ever since Rio, people have been asking me about this.”

With a nod to Bolt, Osaka said she most enjoys watching the athletics, as well as diving, swimming and another popular sport in Japan – figure skating.