Naomi Osaka opens up the US Open with a win

Since 2021, Naomi Osaka has not been the same tennis player that we are accustom of seeing. She has dealt with mental health issues, as well as balancing parenthood. Despite all of the ups and downs in life, Osaka has always been an upbeat and positive spirit.

Today, Osaka looked like that fierce player that Serena Williams couldn't figure out a couple years ago. During opening day, Osaka faced her first opponent in Jeļena Ostapenko and made it look like a piece of cake. Osaka won both of her sets 6-2 and 6-3 and had this to say after the victory. "I made a promise to myself to be as confident as I can in the fact that I am who I am," Osaka said.

"I feel like, for me, throughout the year I have had really hard matches, and it kind of dipped my confidence a little. I wouldn't say that I played bad tennis. I just would say that I played really good players, and I also learned a lot. "I do think coming to this specific tournament helps me out. But also, whenever I step foot here, I don't really think about the two tournaments I won. I just think about how I felt when I was a kid. It's more of a childhood nostalgia that I really enjoy."