"I want more" - Naomi Osaka voices disagreement with father Leonard's wisdom amid promising Canadian Open run

Naomi Osaka recently spoke up about her disagreement with a token of wisdom her father Leonard shared with her. Osaka, a former World No. 1 and a four-time Major champion, is currently enjoying a fine run at the ongoing 2025 National Bank Open in Montreal.

On Sunday, August 3, the Japanese tennis icon locked horns with Anastasija Sevastova for a place in the quarterfinals of the prestigious WTA 1000 hardcourt tournament. Osaka marked her outing with a statement 6-1, 6-0 win, firing five aces along the way, hitting zero double faults and converting all five of the break points she engineered.

Following the conclusion of the one-sided contest, Naomi Osaka attended a press conference. Here, she was asked how she measures success nowadays. Since her WTA Tour-level comeback after her maternity leave, the Japanese has, for the most part, looked a far cry from the player who won multiple Grand Slams and ascended to World No. 1. In response, the 27-year-old shared her father and ex-coach Leonard Francois' sage advice.

"It's weird. I talked to my dad, and he said, like, Just being healthy and happy is a form of success," Osaka said.

However, the seven-time WTA Tour-level singles titlist currently ranked No. 49, claimed that she doesn't completely agree with her father's wisdom. She laid bare her big goals despite her limited success since her return to competitive action at the beginning of the 2024 season.

"But yeah, I mean, definitely, of course I would want to win slams, of course I would want to be in the top 10, but I think I need to pace myself and go for the mini goals, and they'll eventually turn into the big goals. Yeah, I think being in the quarterfinals here is a step to hopefully getting to the semis and the finals, so I'll try to treat it more like that," she added.

Naomi Osaka to clash against No. 10 seed Elina Svitolina next at Canadian Open

Naomi Osaka (left) and Elina Svitolina (right) at the 2024 Miami Open (Source: Getty)

Elina Svitolina, a former WTA No. 3 who is currently ranked 13th, awaits Naomi Osaka in the quarterfinals of the 2025 National Bank Open in Montreal. Svitolina reached the last eight of the hardcourt event after registering a 6-4, 6-1 win over this year's women's singles runner-up at Wimbledon, Amanda Anisimova.

Osaka and Svitolina have faced each other on seven previous occasions, with the Japanese narrowly edging the pair's head-to-head 4-3. The pair's most recent meeting came in the second round of last year's Miami Open. Here, the former No. 1 won the encounter 6-2, 7-6(5).

If Naomi Osaka manages to extend her head-to-head lead against the Ukrainian in Montreal, she will go on to face either Clara Tauson or Madison Keys in the semis.