"They're my mothers" - Naomi Osaka gushes over Venus Williams after Citi DC Open return, keeps her fingers crossed for Serena Williams' comeback

Naomi Osaka recently heaped praise on the Williams sisters. The Japanese star hailed Venus Williams for her return to tennis at the ongoing Mubadala Citi DC Open while sharing that she was hopeful that Serena Williams would soon follow suit.

The Williams sisters dominated the tennis world for a decade in the early 2000s. Between the two of them, they won a whopping 48 Grand Slam titles. Of these, the American duo won 14 trophies in the women's doubles event while partnered with each other. While Serena Williams called time on her career in 2022, Venus Williams recently returned to the sport after a 16-month hiatus.

Speaking on their legacy, Naomi Osaka, who is also competing at the Citi DC Open, told media,

“I feel like whenever I see her or Serena, the kid in me comes out, because they were my favorite players to watch. So it's really cool that she (Venus) kind of is doing it for the fans, too. I mean, for me, it's everything, you know. I'm grateful that they played so long, and they're continuing -- maybe Serena is coming back, I don't know, fingers crossed. But yeah, I mean, they're my mothers. They're the queens.

Osaka has played both the Williams sisters in her career. She leads Serena Williams 3-1 in their head-to-head record, while she's tied at one each with Venus Williams.

Naomi Osaka makes her feelings clear about Emma Raducanu as she prepares to face the Brit at Washington

Osaka at rhe MGM Rewards Slam (Image Source: Getty)

Naomi Osaka began her campaign at the Mubadala Citi DC Open against Yulia Putintseva. The 27-year-old had a close call in the second set but was eventually able to scrape through 6-2, 7-5.

Up next, the Japanese star will take on Britain's Emma Raducanu. Speaking about her upcoming encounter against the youngster, Osaka expressed that she was excited about the clash, while praising Raducanu as a player.

“I would say I'm excited about it, especially seeing how you're excited about it. I've never played her before, so for me, that's something really cool too. Because I have seen her, I guess when she first did well at Wimbledon before she won the US Open, like moments like that, and I knew she was a good player. So I guess for our paths to finally cross is really cool.”

Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu have never played each other before but both of them have previously delivered fantastic performances on hard courts. The duo is scheduled to take on each other on Thursday (July 24) and fans can expect an exciting match.