“When I play really good players, I don’t think about them,” Naomi Osaka reveals her secret to success against ‘really good players’ like Serena Williams and Iga Swiatek

The Japanese ace almost pulled off a win against Swiatek.

“When I play really good players, I don’t think about them,” Naomi Osaka reveals her secret to success against ‘really good players’ like Serena Williams and Iga Swiatek

Iga Swiatek, Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams (Images via Imago)

Japanese tennis ace Naomi Osaka almost upset World No. 1 Iga Swiatek at the 2024 Roland Garros as she pushed the Polish tennis ace to her limits. Osaka did something that many have not been able to do on the WTA tour- challenging Swiatek on clay. The World No. 1 is a different beast on clay courts and Osaka almost got Swiatek on her best surface.

The two players battled it out on Court Phillipe-Chatrier for three hours before Swiatek sneaked out with a win. The opening set gave a sneak peek into what was coming everyone’s way. Osaka and Swiatek engaged in intense rallies and won points back and forth. Eventually, the set was decided in a tiebreaker with Swiatek racing to seven points.

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However, this fueled up the hunger in Osaka who went on to demolish Swiatek in the second set, winning it 6-1. The match was pushed into a decider and it was another thrilling battle between two of the finest players in the history of the sport. Swiatek and Osaka kept on finding their way back into the game but the Polish ace had the last laugh winning the decider 7-5.

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However, although Swiatek walked away with a win, Naomi Osaka left a mark on the fans and subtly announced that she had come back to rule the tour once again. The Japanese tennis star who has won four Grand Slam titles sent a message to everyone. On top of that, Osaka also talked about her mindset that helps her dish out such performances.

Naomi Osaka gives a sneak peek into her elite mindset

This is not the first time Naomi Osaka has challenged an elite player. Back in 2018, she beat 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams to win her maiden Grand Slam title at the US Open. Fast forward to 2024, Osaka almost defeated Iga Swiatek in a tournament the Polish ace has won three times. How is Osaka able to pull off such performances? She answers.

Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka prepares for a shot (via Imago)

The 26-year-old who recently came back to the tour after a break due to pregnancy revealed that she does not focus on her opponents or the surface she is playing on. Osaka drew a parallel between her match against Swiatek and Serena and said that she paid no heed to the outside talk which worked wonders. 

Honestly, it's interesting, but when I play really good players, I don't think about them. I think more about myself. Going into this match, first of all, for me, it's really fun. I feel like those are the moments that I practiced for so long anyways. I was kind of approaching it with how I approached my match against Serena the first time in the US Open. I just wanted to focus on me, and no matter what happened outside of the court I didn't try to put my mind to it.
Naomi Osaka said after her win over Iga Swiatek.

It is also worth mentioning that Osaka is making the right advances as she promised at the start of her comeback. She has made a huge leap with this performance against Swiatek.

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