‘It Was Pretty Hard’- Iga Swiatek Reveals Speaking to Naomi Osaka During Her Tough Period

Iga Swiatek is in a destructive form since the 2022 Qatar Open. Being on a 16-match win streak, the Polish player is in the finals of the Miami Open. The World No. 2 beat Jessica Pegula in a hard-fought semifinal to book a place in the final two. In the finals, Iga is set to face the former World No. 1 Naomi Osaka.

The two have previously played just once in their career, with Naomi winning the match in straight sets. Recently, during her semifinal post-match press conference, Swiatek opened up about her relationship with Osaka. The 20-year-old confessed that she and Osaka used to be in touch earlier.

Iga Swiatek on her relationship with Naomi Osaka

Following their previous meeting at the 2019 Toronto Open, Iga Swiatek and Naomi Osaka developed a friendly bond between them. Apart from having personal space. the two actively conversed with each other in different ways through social media. Putting up stories, tagging each other, commenting, going live with each other, the two did it all.

Recently, during the press conference, Swiatek was asked about how it has been like getting to know Osaka since their previous meeting. Asking the question, the journalist made a special mention of their Instagram interactions.

Taking the question with fluency, Swiatek started by confessing that she did interact with Osaka on Instagram, as well as WhatsApp. She said, “We had some chances to do that (Instagram interactions), for sure. Yeah, I mean, we talked on WhatsApp for some time.”

Recalling Osaka’s low phase, Swiatek asserted that it was during that time that the two lost connect. She said, “During the tough times that she had and when she was off the tour for a little bit, it was pretty hard to, you know, stay in touch.”

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Going further, Iga Swiatek further confessed that the two shared a strong bond. A bond in which she looked towards Osaka for any advice. “She’s that kind of person that I remember even asking her for advice, and she was pretty nice and open about it. It’s just good to be open, I guess, and help each other sometimes,” Swiatek said.

The glorious runs of Swiatek and Osaka at the 2022 Miami Open

Keeping up with her strong game, Iga first won the Qatar Open, and then the Indian Wells. Looking confident, Iga is currently playing at the Miami Open. Entering the draw as the 2nd seed, Iga received a first-round bye. She started her campaign by beating Viktorija Golubic in the second round. Having a strong start, she further went on to beat Madison Brengle in the third, and Coco Gauff in the fourth round. Not in a mood to look back, Iga further went on beating Petra Kvitova in the quarterfinals, followed by a semifinal win over Jessica Pegula.

On the other hand, Naomi Osaka has been struggling with her form since the start of the season. After suffering a second-round at the Indian Wells, Osaka entered the Miami Open as an unseeded player. She opened her tournament campaign with a first-round win over Astra Sharma. The win was followed by a second-round over Angelique Kerber. Going further, Osaka directly reached the fourth round following the withdrawal of her third-round opponent. In the fourth round, she beat Alison Riske. Feeling the court better, in-form Osaka had now started giving the vibes of the vintage Naomi Osaka.

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In the quarterfinals, she beat Danielle Collins, followed by a semifinal win over Belinda Bencic.