Smiling on court is as much a stress-buster as it is a gentle nudge for Naomi Osaka to enjoy her tennis. (AFP Photo)
For me, whatever happens the rest of this tournament, the rest of the Asia swing, I’m just trying to be a better tennis player and learn from every match that I play. ” Osaka, who reinstated Wim Fissette in her team when she announced her comeback in the autumn of 2023, switched to Patrick Mouratoglou, who coached Serena Williams, last September. Catch Lovlina Borgohain’s inspiring story on Game On, Episode 5.
“What I want to take away from this tournament is smiling and having fun,” Osaka said. “I can’t really speak too much on the second week of a major, because this is my first time back here,” she said of her second innings in the sport after missing the 2023 season. It creates a safe space for me to be able to express myself and my tennis,” Osaka said.
NEW YORK: Serving to stay in the match, Coco Gauff jammed a body serve into Naomi Osaka. For most of the afternoon, Osaka’s movement was fluid and her tennis flowed freely, but at that moment, she had no answer. She moved briskly across the baseline, preparing for the next point, then looked up at her box. And smiled, as if gently reminding herself to. “In the first round I was too nervous to smile, and against (Daria) Kasatkina I was not smiley at all. Going into this match, I wanted to be grateful. She’s one of the best players in the world. I have the most fun when I play against the best players. I see it as a challenge, I like challenges. Smiling on court is as much a stress-buster as it is a gentle nudge for Osaka to enjoy her tennis. The joy, it seems, may just be that missing piece in the match play puzzle she’s been trying to solve since returning from her maternity break. “But I feel really relaxed. “When we talk after matches, he’s not harsh at all. He’s always very proud and encouraging. “Tomasz gave me a game plan and I executed it pretty well. It was very clear for me what I had to do from the beginning. If I stepped outside of those lines, it was very easy to go back in them. Osaka — a supreme shot-maker — rediscovering her joy on the tennis court brings a whole new energy to the women’s game. Watch Here
I just wanted to have a better year than last year, and I already did that in Montreal (where she made the final).