Naomi Osaka made a point out of Iga Swiatek after exiting Toronto within the second spherical because the Japanese revealed the French Open thriller versus the Pole “did wonders for my confidence” and since then she has been believing far more that she will enhance as a participant and in addition develop into a robust pressure outdoors arduous courts.
Since Osaka has 4 Grand Slam titles on arduous, there isn’t any want to speak about how the arduous floor fits her sport. However when getting ready for her post-pregnancy comeback, the 26-year-old made it clear that she needed to broaden her sport and in addition learn to play nicely on clay and grass.
And through this yr’s clay season, Osaka got here near virtually doing “the unattainable” – and that is beating Swiatek on the French Open. However in the long run, Osaka fell simply brief regardless of having a 5-2 third-set lead and a match level as Swiatek went on to win their second-round match 7-6 (1) 1-6 7-5.
After that, Osaka made the ‘s-Hertogenbosch quarterfinal in what was her first grass event since 2019.
“You realize, that Iga match did wonders for my confidence, I am not going to lie. I am optimistically wanting ahead to clay subsequent yr. Grass, I am taking a look at it from a distance (laughing), however I am prepared to be taught, I will watch quite a lot of tapes of Serena. That is sort of a next-year factor. I feel for me now I am actually specializing in US Open, Asia, that is sort of the areas that I thrive, so I am, I do not know, wanting ahead to it,” Osaka stated in Toronto.
Osaka on battling doubts however nonetheless setting excessive targets for herself
On Wednesday, Osaka made mild work of former world No. 2 Ons Jabeur 6-3 6-1 in what was anticipated to be a good assembly and the spotlight of first-round motion in Toronto. Throughout that match, the Japanese four-time Grand Slam champion was firing from all cylinders – she broke the Tunisian 4 occasions and did not face a single break level throughout the match.
However simply after delivering a efficiency that reminded of her Slam-winning kind, Osaka did not handle to do the identical the next day after world No. 35 Elise Mertens handed her a 6-3 6-4 loss within the Toronto second spherical.
When requested about her dominant play towards Jabeur, Osaka – presently ranked at No. 199 on the earth – underlined she nonetheless has huge targets for herself but additionally admitted that she is a perfectionist and that results in doubts.
“Yeah, I imply, you realize what, shoot for the celebrities, yeah (laughing). I, sadly, have at all times suffered from, like, perfectionism and I doubt myself loads, however I feel going by this course of and having actually powerful losses that I’ve realized loads about myself and I realized that I actually love this sport and am prepared to do no matter it takes to get to the place I really feel like I need to be. I do know there’s going to be much more powerful losses, however hopefully, yeah, hopefully I will be again within the prime 10,” Osaka famous.
What’s Osaka’s takeaway from her Toronto marketing campaign?
As talked about above, Osaka had one actually robust efficiency in Toronto that made it appear like she might even doubtlessly make a run for the title earlier than failing to again it up and shedding in her subsequent match. Nonetheless, the Japanese former world No. 1 had solely optimistic issues to say about her return to Toronto and added she is hoping to enhance within the subsequent few weeks and be ready nicely for the US Open.
“A few of the positives I take away from this event? Effectively, Canadians are pretty (laughing). Everybody was so good, and it was such an amazing ambiance to play on that courtroom. I have not, you realize, been right here shortly, so simply to be enjoying an evening match, it felt like I used to be preparing for the US Open, like Arthur Ashe, so it was good simply to expertise that,” Osaka shared.
“I feel enjoying Ons the opposite day and enjoying Mertens in the present day, I performed two actually high quality opponents, they had been each fairly completely different, however I am hoping that I can set up my sport and develop extra confidence in that. I feel the arduous courtroom for me is the place I really feel essentially the most comfy, and actually, I had quite a lot of enjoyable.”
Subsequent up for Osaka might be subsequent week’s WTA 1000 event in Cincinnati, the place she obtained a foremost draw wildcard. Up to now, Osaka completed as runner-up on the 2020 Cincinnati version that was held in New York that yr as a result of pandemic.
