Naomi Osaka talks about her skills on clay and grass

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Naomi Osaka doesn’t have a loving relationship with clay and grass, but she’s working on improving her skills on those surfaces. In a virtual meeting with BBC Sport, the world No.2 discussed her Roland Garros and Wimbledon prospects.

Naomi Osaka practices in Paris on Wednesday ahead of the 2021 French Open. The Japanese is sporting her own Nike collection that includes limited-edition Air Zoom GP Turbo Naomi Osaka tennis shoes.

The challenge of post-slide movement on clay

The 23-year-old is entering this year’s French Open with just one match win on clay this season, against qualifier Misaki Doi in the first round of the Mutua Madrid Open. Actually, that’s her sole victory on dirt since Roland Garros 2019.

The interview reveals that Osaka is not so insecure on the terre battue, but there are issues to be solved:

I actually do trust myself sliding [on clay]. I think it’s just the process of moving after the slide which is a bit difficult. It just takes time, and you just have to work on it.

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. That’s exactly what Osaka was doing as she fell twice during her Tuesday’s practice at Roland Garros.

Fear of falling on grass

London is an even bigger challenge for Osaka, given her very limited experience on grass. The Japanese didn’t compete as a junior, so all the opportunities she had to play on grass were at Wimbledon and a few tournaments preceding it, such as Birmingham and Eastbourne.

I would say last year [2019] I was definitely very scared, because I actually got injured once on grass because I slipped and I hurt my knee. So it definitely scarred me a little bit.

Asking Novak Djokovic for advice

It’s a bit funny, I talked to [Novak] Djokovic about it, because I wanted to ask him how he moved so well on grass and he said that even though he falls a lot, he keeps getting up and he keeps trying different things. So I guess I’ll try that the next time I’m on grass.

Osaka’s best performance at Wimbledon was a third-round showing. (photo: Jimmie48)

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Marija Zivlak
Marija Zivlak is the founder and editor-in-chief of Women’s Tennis Blog, a trusted source for in-depth coverage of the WTA Tour, tennis fashion, and player insights. Based in Belgrade, Serbia, she has been reporting on women’s tennis for over 18 years and has contributed exclusive fashion articles to the official WTA website. Marija launched Women’s Tennis Blog on March 31, 2007 to provide fans with accurate, engaging, and up-to-date tennis news. Her expertise and deep connections within the sport allow her to offer unique perspectives on tennis trends, gear, and events.

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