Naomi Osaka says ‘I don’t want to see her again’ after downing Australian Open rival | Tennis | Sport

Naomi Osaka certainly made a statement in her opening match of the Australian Open. The two-time champion got off to a winning start, defeating debutant Antonia Ruzic 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 in the opening round.

While she’ll be hoping to roll back the years and compete for the title down under, but it was her extravagant entrance to the arena that got tongues wagging. The Japanese ace emerged dressed like a jellyfish and she certainly stung Ruzic’s momentum with a professional round one performance.

Osaka was full of kind words for her opponent after taking the win, so much so that the 28-year-old even admitted she was unnerved when Ruzic came up to the net. Speaking on court, Osaka said: “Probably serve [strongest part of her game], I think I served really well and she’s an amazing player, I never played her before so I hope to not see her on the other side of the net. But if I do I am pretty sure we will keep playing some really good matches.”

Osaka took a period of time away from tennis after giving birth, before returning to the circuit in 2024. It’s her third appearance at the Australian Open since then, with Osaka saying: “It’s honestly one of my favourite tournaments and just to start the year off it makes me very happy, I am just so grateful that you guys came and stuck it out, I know we were the second night match. Thank you so much, I really appreciate it and hope you enjoyed the match.”

It remains to be seen whether Osaka has another outfit planned for round two or whether she’ll leave the jellyfish-inspired costume behind. When asked about the thinking behind it, the four-time Grand Slam champion explained: “I realise I’m a little strange because I don’t really think I care.

“I just feel like I want to do things that create joy and happiness. For me, obviously I really love fashion. That makes me excited to wake up and do the whole walk-on or whatever. It just creates a little bit more joy in that whole match preparation. But no, I don’t think in my mind, I’m going to put this on, and if I lose, it’s like a wrap.”