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Naomi Osaka says she is entering the hard-court season with renewed enjoyment of the game.

The 21-year-old from Japan has not played since her tearful press conference following her first-round defeat at Wimbledon.

But in a personal entry on social media, she acknowledged that she had been affected by pressure since winning her second Grand Slam and reaching No. 1 at the Australian Open.

"I can honestly reflect and say I probably haven't had fun playing since Australia," she said.

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Osaka also split with her coach, Sascha Bajin, following the Australian Open win. Since then, she has not been beyond the semifinals of an event and has spoken repeatedly about the expectations surrounding her.

But Osaka now says she is "re-learning that fun feeling," and working on "learning from" her matches instead of "putting so much weight" on winning them instead.

The two-time major champion appears to currently be dating a hip hop singer, though she has not officially confirmed the relationship.

She added that there have been some positives during these few months, saying, "I've met new people and I've been able to do things I've never considered before."

Osaka has catapulted to celebrity since winning her first Grand Slam a year ago at the US Open, and also has been on her way to becoming one of the top female sponsorship earners.

"I feel like I learned a lot as a person and grew so much," she said... "I'm really excited what the future looks like on and off the court."

Osaka is No.2 in the rankings.

Naomi Osaka: "I probably haven't had fun playing since Australia"

Naomi Osaka: "I probably haven't had fun playing since Australia"