Osaka opens up after victorious return to Grand Slam tennis at U.S. Open

New York — Here's the realization Naomi Osaka came to, gradually and only recently: If other people think a lot of her, she probably should, too.

"Hearing a little kid telling me that I'm their favorite player or I'm a role model, instinctively the first thought in my mind is, like, 'Why?'" Osaka explained as Monday turned to Tuesday after a successful start to her U.S. Open title defense. "I feel like I have to sort of embrace more ... the honor that they're telling me that, and I should believe more in myself. I feel like if you don't believe in yourself, then other people won't believe in yourself." During her return to Grand Slam action after a mental health break - an at-times-dominant 6-4, 6-1 victory over 87th-ranked Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic - Osaka heard the high-pitched voice of one such "little kid" in Arthur Ashe Stadium.