via Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, Japan’s Naomi Osaka in action during her semi final match against Serena Williams of the U.S. REUTERS/Kelly Defina
via Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, Japan’s Naomi Osaka in action during her semi final match against Serena Williams of the U.S. REUTERS/Kelly Defina
World No. 2 Naomi Osaka has begun this season on a high note. After claiming her fourth Grand Slam title at the Australian Open this year, she is proving herself to be the player to beat. For now, the season is done with its hardcourt tournaments for the first half of the calendar.
The focus has now shifted towards the clay-court events. Recently, Naomi Osaka was seen training for the first time on the clay court this year. In the clip she posted on Instagram, the Japanese star can be seen engaging in an intense drill. The player was sharpening her skills, covering both sides of the court, practicing the backhand and forehand.
via Reuters
Tennis – Australian Open – Women’s Singles Final – Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, February 20, 2021 Japan’s Naomi Osaka and Jennifer Brady of the U.S. pose with trophies after their final match REUTERS/Loren Elliott
Naomi Osaka will look to improve on her performances on clay court events
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As the season turns to clay-court tournaments, players will have to change tactics and apply different strategies since the clay courts react differently as compared to hard courts. Unfortunately, Naomi has not had the best of results on the clay court, especially at the French Open.
She has competed at Roland Garros four times so far, and her best result has been reaching the third round. The 23-year-old athlete did not feature in the previous season due to a hamstring injury. Therefore, Osaka will look to improve on her past performances and fair better since she is in such good form.
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USA Today via Reuters
Mar 29, 2021; Miami, Florida, USA; Naomi Osaka of Japan hits a backhand against Elise Mertens of Belgium (not pictured) in the fourth round in the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Osaka won her fourth Grand Slam title early this season
This season, Naomi was first seen at the exhibition event in Adelaide called ‘A Day at the Drive.’ After that, she competed at the WTA Melbourne but had to withdraw before her semifinal match. Later, she went on to win her second title at the Australian Open.
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She featured at the Miami Open, but unfortunately, her loss to Greek tennis player Maria Sakkari ended her 23-match winning streak. Now, the attention is on the different events on the clay courts. It will be interesting to see how the Japanese starlet performs in the near future.
