Rome: Naomi Osaka revisits documentary after previewing Carlos Alcaraz Netflix series

ROME, Italy—Naomi Osaka watched the first few minutes of Carlos Alcaraz’s My Way docuseries on the way to the Internazionali BNL d’Italia and had a couple of immediate observations.

“I just was kind of stuck on his room,” she said of the former No. 1’s childhood bedroom. “I was like, ‘Is that really his room?’

“But was really cute to me, because obviously he really loves his family and he probably feels a lot of comfort being in the room he grew up in.”

Read more: Six things we learned from Alcaraz's Netflix docuseries

Osaka is an old hand at the documentary medium, having released her own series on Netflix back in 2021.

“That was at a really turbulent time in my life,” she reflected of the show, which followed her through the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

Naomi Osaka followed the four-time Grand Slam champion through her first US Open title defense, saw her deal with the grief of losing mentor Kobe Bryant, and ultimately return to Flushing Meadows with the trophy after paying a moving tribute to victims of racial injustice.

“I think there was a lot of sad times, and then happy times,” Osaka said after reaching the third round at the Foro Italico. “I think if I look back on that period of my life with the documentary, it was just me trying to figure myself out. I can’t fully claim that I do have myself figured out. I think I’m a little bit more grown now.”

This more mature Osaka is currently on a seven-match winning streak, her longest since becoming a mom in 2023. She won her first title in four years only last week at a WTA 125K in Saint-Malo—on clay, which has historically been her least favorite surface—and navigated a tricky second round against lucky loser Viktorija Golubic to emerge victorious, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 on Thursday.

I think if I look back on that period of my life with the documentary, it was just me trying to figure myself out. I can’t fully claim that I do have myself figured out. I think I’m a little bit more grown now. Naomi Osaka

Golubic was a late replacement for No. 9 seed Paula Badosa, who was forced out of the tournament due to a recurring back injury.

“It’s just a lot of real-time adjustments that needed to be made,” said Osaka, who confessed to feelings of homesickness late in the second set.

“I was like, ‘I wonder if I can get on a flight at midnight or something, beat the time zone and come back with a week for French Open,’ which is like, a really terrible way of thinking. I know if Patrick reads this, he’s going to be pissed. But for me, obviously, I’m really glad I was able to switch my train of thought before that happened.”

Though her wandering mind may draw ire from coach Patrick Mouratoglou, Osaka found herself driven by a sort of purpose that was captured so eloquently in her Netflix series.

“I think, for me, I want to win. I want to win tournaments I’ve never won before,” Osaka said. “I want to do well on clay. I want to set myself up for a really good end of the year, which is my favorite part of the year. So, I’d love to be seeded by then. I think, for me, I really like Rome, so I want to try and be here as long as possible.”

Another source of inspiration comes from being part of a successful generation of players born in 1997, a cohort that includes 2017 Roland Garros champion Jelena Ostapenko, Belinda Bencic, and Daria Kasatkina.

“I probably keep an eye on them more than any other players,” said Osaka. “I think that’s just because I like them a lot. People know I say Ostapenko is probably my favorite player. I really love her a lot. I think she’s the exact polar opposite of me. She’s just fun to me. Bencic, I really respect her a lot and also think she’s a polar opposite of me in terms of, you can count on her to win the matches she’s supposed to. Me, I’m a little bit more of a wild card. I just really like both of them. Obviously, Bencic came back and she’s killing it and that inspires me to do better. Ostapenko, she just won Stuttgart. They definitely push me a lot.”

Osaka will next face either No. 16 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia or Marie Bouzkova.