ATP Singapore Open 2021

Asian tennis players must ride the Osaka wave

Yoshihito Nishioka in his match against Michael Mmoh. The 25-year-old benefited from his stint at the IMG Academy in Florida.
Yoshihito Nishioka in his match against Michael Mmoh. The 25-year-old benefited from his stint at the IMG Academy in Florida. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
Age: 19 Country: Bulgaria
Age: 19 Country: Bulgaria PHOTO: SINGAPORE TENNIS OPEN
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Following Naomi Osaka's fourth Grand Slam win at the Australian Open last Saturday, the time has come for more Asian players to try to reach her level, said Yoshihito Nishioka, the second-ranked male player in Japan.

The 25-year-old told The Straits Times via a video conference call last Sunday: "She's very supportive of Japanese tennis and Asian tennis, so we need to be proud of her and need to improve more so that we can be more like her. She showed that we can do it, so we just have to believe in that and try to do it."

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on February 24, 2021, with the headline Asian tennis players must ride the Osaka wave. Subscribe