Osaka using lockdown to conquer shyness

Two-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka is using the coronavirus shutdown to try and overcome her crippling shyness.

The tennis season was suspended in early March due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and the hiatus will continue until at least mid-July with many countries in lockdown to contain the virus.

Japan's Osaka, who trains in the United States, is taking advantage of the extended break to do some soulsearching.

"I think people know me as being really shy. I want to take the quarantine time to just think about everything, and for me, I have a lot of regrets before I go to sleep," Osaka told CNN Sport.

"Most of the regrets are because I don't speak out about what I'm thinking. I feel like if I asserted myself, I would have gotten the opportunity to see what would have happened.

"I want to take this time to learn something new because I'm pretty sure I won't have this much free time ever again. It's not like I'll forget how to play tennis."

Xinhua - Agencies