ITF

14 ITFWorld // SPRING 2019 months and grasping the world No. 1 spot following her heroics at Melbourne Park, much of Osaka's makeup remains shrouded in mystery, which only serves to heighten the fascination. Fuelled, in part, by her emergence from seemingly nowhere, the furore surrounding Osaka, who has a Japanese mother and Haitian father, at the Tokyo Games is likely to be extreme. Her reserved persona also intrigues. When asked to describe her start to 2019, which included her Australian Open triumph on Rod Laver Arena, she noted that "she had begun better than last year which is always a bonus" and that she was "just enjoying life". But irrespective of her perceived shyness and apparent innocence – exemplified by past references to Pokemon and a love of Harry Potter – the poster girl for Generation Z certainly knows her own mind. The parting of ways with her coach Sascha Bajin in February suggested as much, while Osaka is aware that, as with the likes of Helen Wills, Steffi Graf and Serena Williams, Olympic glory elevates successful careers to fresh levels. "The Olympics mean a lot to every athlete," said Osaka, who claimed her first Tour-level title by overcoming Russia's Daria Kasatkina in the final at Indian Wells in March 2018. "Tennis players are a bit different because they have the chance to play tournaments almost every week compared to other Olympians or athletes, but when you are a kid you do dream of playing at the Olympic Games. "For my first Olympics to be in Tokyo, and to have the chance to win gold there and all that that would mean for me personally and for me as a player, is incredible." I N T E R V I E W The 21-year-old has set her sights on a gold medal at next year's Olympic Games Osaka believes a gold medal will elevate her career to new levels Osaka defeated Serena Williams to clinch her maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open in September 2018

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