Even the “queen of clay” Iga Swiatek had to admit that her victory over Naomi Osaka didn’t come easy at Roland Garros. The Japanese WTA star, who once ruled the courts with her amazing serve, seems to be striving with an inconsistent form these days. While everyone started seeing a glimpse of her former self with a recent victory over Ons Jabeur, the latest showdown in Toronto concluded with a terrible result.

Osaka’s return to the tennis circuit has been decorated with multiple challenges. Although her Paris Olympics campaign couldn’t bring enough excitement to the fans, the recent victory over Jabeur pointed at a better fortune in Toronto. However, the R32 showdown against Elise Mertens told a different story.

Once known for her powerful serve, the Japanese star was seen struggling against the Belgian rival. As the numbers suggested, she failed to hit a single ace and recorded two double faults in the first set itself. Her first-serve percentage was only 50%, a statistic that left her supporters disappointed. While the crowd managed to hold on to their seats for the second set, it could only get worse.

Although Osaka hit one ace, she was seen terribly giving away four double faults, again achieving only 50% on her first serve. These numbers are a far cry from the dominant player fans once knew. The inconsistency in her game has become a growing concern as she continues to search for the form that made her a top contender in women’s tennis.

The match’s aftermath saw a flood of criticism as several tennis bigwigs came forward to point at these concerning numbers. “These return statistics are horrendous… especially giving up THAT many free points on the second serve return??” a tennis bigwig wrote on X. However, this is where fans received a stage to reveal their inner feelings about Osaka and her recent form.

Fans gather to point at Naomi Osaka’s “first serve” issues

As soon as the showdown ended and Osaka walked out of the arena in disappointment, fans started discussing how the first serve was a major problem for her. While it once used to be a weapon, things started to change ever since she found her way back into the scene.

A fan, mentioning how things could only be fixed after these first serve numbers, wrote, “Yeah until that first serve is not fixed we ain’t winning anything.” Looking back to the year 2022, Osaka’s first-serve percentage used to be high at 76.2%. The graph has been declining ever since she found her way back in January.

Another fan, wondering if Osaka requires a change in her coaching team because of the consistent issues, wrote, “should Naomi leave Wim and find a new coach? we keep running into the same old issues.” The Japanese WTA star has been playing under the guidance of Wim Fissette since 2020. While her serve flourished under his guidance, there’s barely a chance of considering a change even with current problems.

While many were just concerned, others seemed to have lost faith in Osaka’s potential. “Naomi osaka has forgotten how to serve lol,” a fan commented. Osaka hasn’t secured any evident spot, right from the start of this season. Although there were some matches that saw her commendable approach, consistency is what she lacks.

A fan, treating Osaka with a sarcastic tone, wrote, “Naomi actually hitting first serves????” Osaka’s first serve came out to be quite concerning lately. Her first-serve percentage this season is recorded at 54.5%, a surprising number for a player who has 4 grand slams.

This wasn’t the first time when Osaka was seen struggling against Mertens. Bringing up the narrative, a fan wrote, “SICK & TIRED OF NAOMI TUSSLING WITH MERTENS EVERY OTHER WEEK.” Before this, Osaka was in a showdown against Mertens at Indian Wells and at the Libema Open. Although the Japanese lead the head-to-head with a 4-2 score, the fact that she consistently playing and being troubled against her is troublesome.

With these and several other comments on a similar note, the fans made it clear that they were not at all satisfied with Osaka’s recent performance. As her weapon seems to be turning into a liability, it still remains to be seen how she manages to find a fix.