“I just wrote..,” Naomi Osaka reveals the message she wrote to herself after blockbuster French Open encounter against Iga Swiatek

Naomi Osaka leaves Roland Garros with her head held high.

“I just wrote..,” Naomi Osaka reveals the message she wrote to herself after blockbuster French Open encounter against Iga Swiatek

Naomi Osaka waving to the fans before exiting the court (via Imago)

Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka remains optimistic about her tennis future despite a tough loss to World No.1 Iga Swiatek. Despite having a match point in the final set, she lost 7-6, 1-6, 7-5.

It’s early days for the former World No.1, who returned to the tour this year after pregnancy. However, matches like this fuel her belief in reclaiming her top-player status. In her post-match press conference, she shared the message she wrote in her ‘little book’ after the match.

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You know, I have my little book, right? In it today I just wrote… ‘I'm proud of you.’
Naomi Osaka said in her post-match press conference

This victory marked Swiatek’s 16th consecutive match win at Roland Garros, the longest streak since Justine Henin’s 24-match winning streak from 2005 to 2010. Additionally, it was Swiatek’s 14th consecutive win this year. Osaka won more points overall, hit 17 more winners, and secured more service breaks, but Swiatek excelled when it counted most.

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What can Naomi Osaka achieve this year despite French Open loss?

Going into the 2024 WTA season, there were big question marks surrounding Naomi Osaka. The former World No.1 was absent from the 2023 tennis calendar due to pregnancy. However, when she made her return, many tennis fans expected her to find her best tennis on hard courts.

Osaka is a four-time Grand Slam champion, winning two Grand Slams each at the Australian Open and the US Open. However, she suffered early defeats in her comeback tournaments in Brisbane, the Australian Open, Indian Wells, and Miami.

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

At the end of the hard court season, many expected Osaka might not even feature on clay due to her poor history on the dirt. However, history didn’t repeat itself this year as the Japanese star won her first match in over a year against a top-10 player at the Italian Open, where she beat Daria Kasatkina.

Judging by her performance at Roland Garros, fans are positive about what Osaka can bring to the hard court season after the Olympic Games. She has always been a fan of the North American calendar, and being involved in such brutal matches like today’s can give her the belief that she can become a top contender in the WTA circuit again.

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