MADRID: 15 weeks have passed since Naomi Osaka became the first Asian player in history to top the world rankings at the age of 21.
It has been a far from smooth experience since then for the Introverted Osaka, who has experienced mixed results on the tour. Reaching the semifinal at one tournament since the Australian Open, which was in Stuttgart last month. Nevertheless, Japan’s best player is a known perfectionist. Eager for success and frustrated when things don’t go the way she would like. Now trying to find the right balance in her game, Osaka is refusing to get carried away by her No.1 ranking.
“I don’t necessarily see myself as a favorite, but I see myself as a seed, so I shouldn’t necessarily be losing in the first round,” Osaka explained during her press conference.
“I have high goals for myself, but I have always been that type of person. But definitely not a favorite.”
Fortunately, it seems like her recent demons are behind her. Osaka has been frank about the struggles she experienced as a result of her rapid rise to fame. Crying following her loss to Kristina Mladenovic in Dubai and admitting that she has been ‘depressed’ in recent months.
Now guided on the tour by Jermaine Jenkins, who took over from Sascha Bajin, Osaka is once again finding harmony. Both on and off the court.
“I’m at a really good place right now.” She said. “I’m having fun playing tennis again which is always a good thing for me and I always play well if I have that mentality.”
Osaka’s level of play is currently on display at the Madrid Open. Following on from a testing three-set win on Tuesday, Osaka fared better in her clash with Aliaksandra Sasnovich. Droppin serve only once during her 6-2, 6-3, win to extend her overall head-to-head lead to 3-0. The performance saw her hit 22 winners alongside 14 unforced errors as she converted four out of her 10 break point opportunities.
“I think I played well today. But I knew that I had to because I’ve played her twice before already and it was on hard court and then I didn’t know what to expect today so I tried to stay as focused as I could.” She reflected about her latest win.
Osaka will play either Belinda Bencic or Kateryna Kozlova next. This year is only her second main draw appearance in Madrid and it is the first time she has progressed to the quarter-finals. Although she is hungry for more.
“I’m not satisfied just stopping here and of course I want to go further, but yeah, I mean compared to last year, this is definitely an upgrade.”
Whether or not she can upgrade to a trophy in the Spanish capital remains to be seen.
