Naomi Osaka continues adding victories on the clay of the WTA Roma 2024. The Japanese woman speaks at a press conference about her evolution on the surface, how being a mother has changed her mentality and what her main goals are.
“Today’s match was pretty good, but I was already very focused because I knew how good a player she was,” says Naomi Osaka about Daria Kasatkina. “I’m happy with the result. We trained in Madrid and he beat me like 6-0 or 6-1, being generous with myself. For some reason, when we started, I didn’t remember how to play on clay, I didn’t know how to structure the point “It seems I have managed to do it.”
A smart plan
“I just wanted to play intelligent tennis, the maximum percentage of the ball no matter what. I gave up when things were tight, but I realized it and I tried to go back to the initial plan. I am very aware that I can’t beat him by being defensively, I have to go for my shots, I don’t want to play flat either. Just being smarter with the big shots.”
Climbing to the top
“I am very grateful to be back, to be healthy because I know how much it has cost me to be here. I also feel very inspired by the players that I see now, I am watching a lot of tennis. I want with all my heart to be where they are now, so “I’m giving everything it takes. I feel like I’m looking for my way back to where I think I belong.”
Hitting the ball with more weight: tactical or mental change?
“It’s a mental thing. I’ve always been able to do it, I’m a little impatient. It didn’t make much sense until I saw Nadal playing and how he accelerates so much when he does it, that it becomes more difficult than flat shots. I feel like I did a lot of homework.”
His change on clay
“In the hallway towards the court are the champions, seeing Serena and Sharapova there is great, it inspires me to know that great hitters can play well on clay. When I was younger, I watched their matches. Right now I don’t watch their past matches , I’m still sad that he’s not on the circuit, especially since Rafa is doing his last tour.
Since having Shai, my mindset is that I’m a lot hungrier. Winning three games here is something I’m very happy about, but I want to continue. I want to see how far I can go. I really look forward to seeing Shai, so that motivates me every day. “We call each other a lot, they send me a lot of videos and I don’t feel like I’m missing anything.”
2024-05-11 15:56:10
#belong
