Naomi Osaka has shared insights into her recent preparations and experiences on clay courts, revealing how watching Rafael Nadal highlights and an “embarrassing” practice session against Daria Kasatkina have shaped her approach. The former world No. 1, who recently achieved her first career win over a top-20 player on clay, discussed her mindset and strategy for improving on the challenging surface.
Reflecting on her practice session with Kasatkina in Madrid, Osaka admitted it was a tough experience. “I think I’ve said this before, but she smacked me in Madrid real bad. It was actually embarrassing,” said the four-time Grand Slam winner. “I felt like I had to apologize to her after that practice. But I’m going into this match knowing that she has way more experience than me on clay.”
Despite Kasatkina’s greater experience on clay, Osaka has demonstrated her potential on the surface. She attributes some of her recent success to maintaining a balanced perspective. “I don’t know why, but today I just woke up very peaceful,” she said. “No matter what happens on the court, nothing will change for me off the court. Like, my daughter will still love me. I have so many people around me… I think maybe that showed today.”
Osaka described herself as like a “baby giraffe” on clay, highlighting her ongoing effort to master the surface. She expressed satisfaction with her progress, stating, “Overall, if I had to give myself a rating, I’d say that I can see a lot of progress from my last match to now.”
To enhance her clay-court performance, Osaka trained in Mallorca and studied videos of top players. “Honestly, I did a really solid block of just focusing on what I want my clay court tennis to look like,” Osaka explained. “I watched some videos. I watched Rafa [Nadal]. I watched [Carlos] Alcaraz. I watched [Andrey] Rublev actually, which is very inspiring because he’s smacking the ball. I kind of thought to myself, like, I don’t want to have regrets when I leave the court.”
Osaka’s dedication to improving her clay-court game and her positive outlook are key factors as she continues to develop her skills and aims for further success on this challenging surface.
Osaka at the French Open, ranking, and results in 2024
Ranked world no.134, the Japanese has a 13-9 match record in 2024. Naomi is now competing at the French Open where she toppled the world no.67 Lucia Bronzetti 6-1 4-6 7-5.
Naomi Osaka will take on the world no.1 Iga Swiatek in the 2nd round on Wednesday at 5:00 pm on Court PHILIPPE-CHATRIER. Their current record is 1-1.
Naomi won 7 titles in her career: all of them conquered on hard courts. (See the list of her titles)
Naomi Osaka |
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