Naomi Osaka admits it is hard to judge her current form on the clay heading into this year’s French Open.
The former world No.1 and four-time Grand Slam winner has only played two clay events leading up to Paris. In Madrid, she reached the third round before losing to Aryna Sabalenka, whom she had won the opening set against. Then at the Italian Open, she reached the same round before suffering a comprehensive loss to Iga Swiatek.
“I feel like the clay season this year, it’s been a little bit hard to judge for me,” Osaka told reporters in Paris.
“I felt like I was playing well in Madrid, but then obviously I played Sabalenka and I lost there. I felt like I had my chances, which was a good takeaway.
“Then we went into Rome, which was a completely different type of clay.”
Osaka admits her Swiatek 6-2, 6-1 beatdown was a blow to her confidence. Coincidentally, she is coached by Tomasz Wiktorowski, who was Swiatek’s mentor for more than a decade until 2024.
“She (Swiatek) slapped me in the ground,” Osaka joked.
“Honestly, that blew my confidence a lot, but I just had to step away, knowing that she’s like the best clay court player, and I still have a lot to learn.
“The score was wild, but it was a little bit closer; there were a lot of deuce games.”
The French Open has never been a place of fond memories for the 28-year-old, who has never reached the last 16 in Paris. Osaka is also yet to reach the fourth round at Wimbledon, but is a two-time champion at both the Australian Open and the US Open.
Osaka’s mixed Grand Slam record is reflected on the WTA Tour, too. She has played 13 finals, which were all on hardcourt, winning seven of those.
“I think a lot of people know me for being a really good hard court player, and I hope that I can eventually start doing better on the other surfaces, too.” She concluded.
Osaka opens up against Germany’s Laura Siegemund at the French Open.
