ITF

ITFWorld // SPRING 2019 15 Despite moving with the rest of her family to Long Island, New York at the age of three, Osaka's parents were of the view that it was only right that she, and her sister Mari, represented Japan given the culture of her upbringing. She has proceeded to compete on behalf of Japan in five Fed Cup by BNP Paribas ties, most recently during their World Group II promotional play-off against Great Britain in April 2018, and her desire to lead the land of her birth to victory remains undiminished. "Representing Japan at an Olympic Games and winning gold for Japan would mean so much," said Osaka. "Technically, I represent Japan at every tournament but I do think the Olympics is going to be different and will be a very big memory for me. "As I say, winning gold in Tokyo is something that I have dreamed about, but there are also other things about the Olympics which I am looking forward to, such as the Opening Ceremony – the celebrations in the stadium and throughout the country will just be incredible." Next year will mark the first occasion that an Asian city has hosted the Summer Olympics twice, with the Games, which will run from 24 July until 9 August, returning to Tokyo for the first time since 1964. It will be the fourth Games to be held in Japan overall after the Winter Olympics were staged in Sapporo in 1972 and in Nagano in 1998, and the second of three consecutive Olympic Games to be held in East Asia. The 2018 Winter Olympics took place in Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea, while the Tokyo Games will precede the Winter Olympics of 2022, which will be hosted by China's capital city, Beijing. Despite now residing in Boca Raton in Florida, the anticipation of the Olympics and the expectancy surrounding the potential for a homegrown heir to Monica "Representing Japan at an Olympic Games and winning gold for Japan would mean so much." N A O M I O S A K A ➝ Before her tilt for gold can begin, Osaka has plenty of opportunities to add to her Grand Slam title haul

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