Naomi Osaka's rise to the top of women's tennis has been both rapid and historic, powered by a win at the U.S. Open last year to become Japan's first Grand Slam singles champion followed by an Australian Open triumph in January that made her Asia's first-ever world No. 1.
Though the 21-year-old Osaka native has struggled in the meantime, suffering early exits at the last two majors and enduring what she described on social media as "the worst months of my life" amid heightened pressure, her results have improved in August and she recently said she is growing as a person and rediscovering her love for the game.
Just ahead of her return to New York to compete in the U.S. Open, some of her former coaches spoke with Kyodo News about training the talented young player from humble origins and watching her subsequent rise to fame.