‘I Was So Scared’ – Naomi Osaka Shares Having a Nightmare of Playing Iga Swiatek, and Reacts Playing Amanda Anisimova at French Open 2022

Japanese star Naomi Osaka had a pretty tough draw yesterday at the French Open 2022. In her opening match, she will face the American tennis star, Amanda Anisimova. Incidentally, she lost to the American player earlier at the Australian Open 2022. Recently, the former World No.1, spoke to the media about the draw, where she talked about having a dream where she played Iga Swiatek. 

Naomi Osaka played Iga Swiatek in her dream, but will soon face Amanda Anisimova at Roland Garros 2022 in reality

After the women’s draw, Naomi Osaka talked at the press conference where she said, “I had a dream about the draw the other day, I dreamed that I played Iga (Swiatek). I was so scared.”

Notably, Naomi faced Iga earlier in the Miami Open final, where the Pol overpowered the Japanese star. Maybe that’s the reason she felt scared of facing Iga at Roland Garros. However, instead of Swiatek, Osaka will face Amanda Anisimova in the first round. 

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According to her, Osaka felt surprised after hearing about the draw from her coach Wim Fissette, as she could not believe she was facing Anisimova again. Speaking about the matchup, Osaka said, “Wim was like, ‘You play Anisimova.’ ‘Oh, you’re joking, right?’ I wouldn’t say I don’t want to play her, because I feel like for me I’m the type of person that if you beat me, it motivates me more to win and I also learned a lot from the match.”

It is worth noting that Osaka played Anisimova in the third round at the Australian Open. In that match, the American tennis player outclassed the 4-time Grand Slam champion in three sets. After the match, Naomi talked about gaining an important lesson that she will use in future tournaments. 

Osaka’s bittersweet 2022

After withdrawing from the French Open last year, Osaka lost a bit of her form, as she didn’t do well in many tournaments until the Miami Open this year. In Miami, she surprised everyone and reached the final. Despite losing the final to Swiatek, she felt confident about her game and the upcoming clay-court season. 

However, injuries kind of hampered her preparation for the French Open, as she suffered an Achilles injury at the Madrid Open. As a result, she withdrew from the Italian Open. Despite all that, she traveled to Paris and will compete in the second Grand Slam of the year. Incidentally, she never went past the third round at Roland Garros. This time, she has a great opportunity to go further if she can overcome the Anisimova challenge. 

How far can Naomi go at the French Open? Let us know in the comments. 

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