Naomi Osaka might have had limited success on the clay so far in her career but it isn’t stopping the former world No.1 from setting out big goals.
The four-time Grand Slam winner recorded her first win on the surface in two years at the Madrid Open on Wednesday where she beat Greet Minnen 6-4, 6-1, in the first round. Osaka didn’t play any tournaments on clay last season after taking time away from the Tour to give birth to her first child.
Since returning to the Tour in January, the 26-year-old has won eight out of 15 matches played with her best result being a run to the quarter-finals in Doha. However, Osaka is confident that she is heading in the right direction.
“I slid a couple of times to my forehand pretty well, so I was excited about that,” she told reporters after beating Minnen. “She was hitting really good drop shots, but I think I got to a couple quite well. Movement-wise I’m feeling a lot more comfortable.”
Despite her various successes, Osaka has yet to reach a WTA final on the clay and at the French Open she has never got past the third round. The last time she reached a semi-final of the surface was back in 2019 at the Stuttgart Open.
“I want to adapt and I’m trying to, but there are things that work for me and have gotten me to where I am, so I don’t want to start slicing and dicing,” she continued.
“There’s a basis to my game and I want to stick to that, but also respect the court. It’s a work in progress for me, but I’m watching a lot more matches on clay. I’m trying to do my homework as best as I can.”
This year Osaka has an extra incentive to focus on her clay game with this year’s Olympic Games taking place at the same venue as the French Open. She has described the four-year event as a ‘big goal’ of hers.
She has beaten two top 20 players so far this season with one of those being Liudmila Samsonova who she will play again in the second round in Madrid. Although she is hungry for more.
“I would like to win a tournament on clay, I would think it’s very ironic but also hilarious if my first tournament (win back from maternity leave) would be clay,” Osaka commented.
“For me, every tournament I play I want to win. I know that results so far haven’t shown that but I really think that something’s going to click eventually and when it does, I think I’ll be really good.
“But for right now, I’m just going to be as humble as I can. I’m happy to be in this tournament, I’m happy to be playing against the best players in the world and I learn from them every day.”
This year is Osaka’s sixth appearance in Madrid. Her best result was reaching the quarter-finals in 2019.
