THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
September 3, 2020 at 11:15 JST
Naomi Osaka serves to Camila Giorgi of Italy during the second round of the U.S. Open tennis championships on Sept. 2 in New York. (AP Photo)
NEW YORK--Naomi Osaka’s play at the U.S. Open has her mother, Tamaki, virtually applauding.
Osaka, the 2018 champion, defeated Camila Giorgi 6-1, 6-2 in the second round. Then came a congratulatory conversation by remote with her mother, who was shown on a courtside video screen.
“Hi! What are you doing?” Osaka said.
The audio connection wasn’t great, but Mom clapped.
“Oh my gosh,” Osaka said.
Her mom, who is Japanese, also held up a sheet of images, which Osaka later deciphered.
“She’s saying, the first one is, ‘Good job,’ and then the second one is, ‘Don’t do Instagram and Twitter and instead go to sleep,’” Osaka said. “And then the third one is, ‘Drink green juice and get some rest,’ and then the fourth one is, ‘I love you.’”
Osaka, who is seeded fourth, advanced while committing only 11 unforced errors.
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