"I'm going to watch a lot of Rafael Nadal videos to see how he moves" - Naomi Osaka on how she plans to prepare for the clay season
Naomi Osaka has already shifted her focus to the upcoming clay season, and in preparation for it, the Japanese plans to observe Rafael Nadal closely. In addition to studying the Mallorcan's movements, Osaka also intends to learn as much as possible from his heir apparent Carlos Alcaraz, who's had a stellar 2022 season of his own so far.
The four-time Grand Slam champion registered her biggest result of the year at the recently concluded Miami Open. She finished as the runner-up at the WTA 1000 event, falling to Iga Swiatek in the final after a dream run.
IGA WINS THE SUNSHINE DOUBLE!! ☀️☀️
Incoming World No.1 @iga_swiatek defeats Osaka 6-4, 6-0 to follow up her Indian Wells title with victory in Miami!
#MiamiOpen https://t.co/rpAyXZ68M4
Speaking at her press conference after the loss, the former World No. 1 seemed rather upbeat about the result instead of dwelling on her defeat. With the tour transitioning to clay now, Osaka revealed that she has set her sights on the French Open and hopes to maintain a "positive outlook" until then.
Naomi Osaka is fully focused on clay this year. Citing the example of Sabalenka's Madrid win, Osaka said she's "willing to do whatever it takes to get good results."
"I'm going to watch a lot of Nadal videos to see how he moves. Shout out, Alcaraz, because he's killing it." https://t.co/dCFFzbvoLd
In five appearances at Roland Garros to date, the 24-year-old is yet to reach the second week. Her best result has been reaching the third round (2016, 2018 and 2019). In the most recent edition in 2021, the Japanese had to withdraw before her second-round encounter under controversial circumstances.
"I know that the French Open is far away, and the clay season is upcoming, but I think my goal there is just to like keep a positive outlook on life. I'm going to watch a lot of [Rafael] Nadal videos to see how he moves," Naomi Osaka said. "Shout out to [Carlos] Alcaraz too, because he's killing it."
Naomi Osaka: My goal there is to keep a +ve outlook on life. I'm gonna watch a lot of Nadal vids to see how he moves. Shout out Alcaraz cuz he's killing it. I just think knowing I'm still a student & I have to keep learning. Clay & grass r sumthing I really wanna tackle this year
With all four of her Major titles coming on hardcourts, Naomi Osaka remarked that she wanted to improve her performances on the other two surfaces. Although she does not usually place much importance on results, the former World No. 1 was of the opinion that a couple of deep runs would be good for her self-confidence.
"I just think that I'm still a student and I have to keep learning. Clay and grass is something I really want to tackle this year. So I'm kind of willing to do whatever it takes to get good results," Naomi Osaka said. "Not that results are everything, but I really want to do well."
The 24-year-old declared that she felt better about playing on clay than grass, noting that the lack of match practice on the latter was the biggest reason for her poor results on the surface.
For the record, Naomi Osaka has only played 20 matches on grass in her career, winning 11 and losing nine (55% win percentage). In the coming seasons at least, she aims to change that by signing up for as many grass tournaments as she can fit into her schedule.
"I think I have a possibility of doing better on clay than on grass, just because I'm more comfortable with sliding there. I feel like for me it's more of a comfort level. I haven't played that many matches on grass," Naomi Osaka said. "I think that's why I never really do well. So just knowing that and giving myself the opportunity to like sign up for more grass tournaments and stuff like that."
"It feels kind of good to chase something, and I think that maybe that's a feeling that I have been missing" - Naomi Osaka reveals she wants to be World No. 1 by next year
During the press conference, Naomi Osaka also made a very bold claim, declaring that she wanted to be World No. 1 by next year. When asked about her goals for the future, the Japanese began cautiously optimistic, stating that she wanted to be seeded at the French Open.
Naomi Osaka:
“By the end of this year I would love to be top 10. By next year I would love to be the No. 1.
“Oh, that's a big statement.
“Close to…top 5. Erase that. Top 5.
“You know what? I'm going to set that goal. Top 1, yeah, No. 1.”
But as she dwelled more and more on the subject, the four-time Grand Slam champion's innate sense of ambition caught up with her. Osaka openly proclaimed that she wanted to reach the top of the WTA rankings once again, adding that she felt more comfortable chasing a quantifiable goal.
"Last year I didn't really care about my ranking at all, but this year I find myself wondering if I went to the top 50 or the top 40 and stuff like that. My main goal is to be seeded at French Open now. By next year or by the end of this year I would love to be top 10. By next year, I would love to be the No. 1. Oh, that's a big statement. Close to top 5. Erase that. Top 5. You know what? I'm going to set that goal. Top 1, yeah, No. 1," Osaka said.
"It feels kind of good to chase something, and I think that maybe that's a feeling that I have been missing, like wanting to strive to do better. For me, like, it's cool to see where the level of No. 1 is so like I can find out if I can reach that," she added.