“Try to Play My Natural Way”: Naomi Osaka Upon Earning Her First Clay Court Victory in Two Years at Mutua Madrid Open

The Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka, who has last played a match on clay two years ago at the French Open has made a solid return to the red turf. She defeated compatriot Misaki Doi in the first round of the WTA Mutua Madrid Open 7-5,6-2. 

Osaka fought hard to clinch the first set

Osaka struggled to find her foot on clay initially as Doi made winners look easy and moved elegantly on-court. But, the aggression from Doi didn’t last for long as she made frequent errors and gave an opening to Osaka to bounce back in the set. 

Even though she was not serving at her best, Osaka managed to do just enough to clinch the first set by a whisker. During the initial moments of the match, it appeared as if Doi would take the opening set comfortably. 

The fightback in the first set helped Osaka command the second as she started to hit more freely, finding incredible angles on the forehand cross-court. 

The four-time grand slam champion clinched the second set 6-2. Speaking to the press post her victory, Osaka revealed her goals for the clay season this year. She emphasized the need to play her natural game on clay instead of changing her game to adjust to the surface.

“I try to play my natural way. I would say if I start thinking about grinding too much, I become a bit of a pusher and it’s not really good for me. Of course, you want to adapt to the clay and do things that are beneficial, but hopefully, I don’t change too much”, Osaka explained. 

Read more: Caroline Wozniacki, Martina Navratilova and Others Predict Naomi Osaka To End the Year As the World No. 1 Player

Naomi Osaka is all praise for compatriot Misaki Doi

The Japanese number one is all praise for her compatriot Misaki Doi and believes that the latter deserves to be ranked higher owing to the pace with which she hits the ball.  

“You obviously want to play well against a player that’s from the same country. I never really know what to expect because I feel like Doi always plays better when I play against her, so it’s a bit tough to manage to control my emotions”, Osaka said. 

This victory should add a lot of confidence to Osaka’s expectations on clay this year. With her game tailor-made to hard courts, she will have to mold her game to suit the needs of clay and grass courts. 

With the looming competition, it appears demanding for Osaka to have a breakthrough season this year on the red turf, but she can add vital ranking points if she manages to clinch a title and goes deep at the French Open. 

Read more: Martina Navratiova Calls Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff the Torch Bearers of a Strong Women’s Field