Naomi Osaka: US Open win was ‘bittersweet’

Naomi Osaka has revealed it has been hard to celebrate her “bittersweet” US Open victory.

The world No.6 was reserved when speaking to press after a first-round win at the China Open, but admitted the controversy-marred final had been difficult to handle.

“I have so much tea right now, but I’m not going to spill it,” she said.

“There’s a lot of stuff I want to say about, like, how I felt and whatever. But for me, I don’t know, I don’t know. The memory of the US Open is a little bit bittersweet. Like right after, the day after, I really didn’t want to think about it because it wasn’t necessarily the happiest memory for me. I don’t know. Like, I just sort of wanted to move on at that point.”

RECAP: How the US Open final unfolded

Osaka, who became the first Japanese Grand Slam singles champion in New York, compared the feeling to eating green tea ice cream.

“When you bite into it, it’s, like, sweet but also very strong. Like, that’s how that memory feels to me,” Osaka said.

“I mean, of course I’m happy that I won a Grand Slam. I don’t think there’s anything that can take away from that. But I don’t know. I feel like not that when I look back on it that it’s a bad memory, but I feel like it was so strange, I didn’t just want to think about it. I wanted to just push it to the side. Then I played Tokyo. For me, Tokyo was a way to take my mind off of it. I think that’s why I did well.

“I’m still trying to take my mind off of it a little bit. I guess hopefully I can do well here, too.”

Osaka made the comments after defeating Kazakhstan qualifier Zarina Diyas 6-4 6-3 in the Beijing first round.

She next faces American Danielle Collins for a place in the last 16.