KYODO NEWS - Jul 25, 2019 - 17:00 | Sports, All

Two-time Grand Slam tennis champion Naomi Osaka threw the ceremonial first pitch prior to Wednesday's Major League Baseball between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Los Angeles Angels.

While she said she was nervous and lacked practice ahead of the pitch, Osaka, ranked world No. 2 in the women's singles, threw the ball to Japanese pitcher Kenta Maeda, who barely had to move as he caught it easily on the fly.

The 21-year-old, wearing the home team's cap and a No. 97 shirt, raised her right hand in delight as the crowd at Dodger Stadium clapped and cheered at the Dodgers' "Japan Night" promotion.

"This is my second time watching live baseball and I'm really honored to have the chance to do this," Osaka told reporters prior to the game. "Also I'm a bit nervous about throwing the ball but I'll have fun."

"I see a lot of people who throw really good and I also see a lot of people who throw really bad, so I hope I'm one of the better throwers."

Japanese two-way star Shohei Ohtani plays for the Angels, who beat the Dodgers 3-2 on Wednesday night.

(From left: Kenta Maeda of the Los Angeles Dodgers, tennis player Naomi Osaka, musician Miyavi and Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels pose for a photo at Dodger Stadium on July 24, 2019. Osaka threw out the ceremonial first pitch while Miyavi performed before a game between the two teams.)

Born in Japan and raised in the United States, the former world No. 1 Osaka said she hopes to make her Olympic debut in front of her Japanese fans at the Tokyo Games, which open in a year.

"I think everyone's excited for the Olympics. It's definitely the biggest deal coming up the next year, for sure, and I've been kind of looking forward to it since Rio, because I didn't play in that," she said.

"I think there's no better first Olympics for me and I'm just really looking forward to it."

Osaka became world No. 1 in women's singles after she followed last year's U.S. Open title with a championship in January's Australian Open. Australian Ashleigh Barty replaced Osaka after winning the Nature Valley Classic in June.