Naomi Osaka Wants To Finally Challenge 'Big Dogs' After Comeback Miami Win
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Naomi Osaka started victoriously at the 2025 Miami Open, but it wasn't an easy win. However, she's excited about the challenge ahead of her.
Osaka was away from the sport for some time after the Australian Open. She was forced to retire from her third-round match against Belinda Bencic in Melbourne, and took some time to recover.
The Japanese player finally made it back to the courts in Indian Wells, where she already lost in the first round to Camila Osorio. In Miami, however, the story was a bit different for the former WTA World No. 1 player.
Osaka beat Yuliia Starodubtseva in the first round, but it wasn't an easy win for her. She was down 3-6 and 2-4 before rallying back to win in three sets, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. After the match, Osaka was happy about how she fought on the tennis court.
"I knew that I wasn't playing too well, but I thought, let me try to stay on the court as long as possible, because I consider Miami my home. [In Indian Wells] I was just over-hitting a lot, so I tried to use my legs. I was going to run into every corner if I had to, and we were going to have to play for three hours if she was going to beat me."
Osaka was never a player who would be an excellent mover. Throughout her career, she has been able to rely on her great shot-making, but one thing that stood out for her in her win over Starodubtseva was her movement, which she was proud of.
"I think the thing I’m the most proud of is my movement. I was able to get a lot of balls back today. I don’t think I have, in my head, thought to rely on my wheels in a really long time. So I’m really glad I’ve got to this point in my fitness – it’s been quite a long journey post-pregnancy, so I’m really happy about that."
Surprisingly, Osaka also mentioned that she struggled with nerves during the match. She was open about it, similar to how Carlos Alcaraz recently spoke about being nervous before losing to Jack Draper in Indian Wells.
"I’m also working on not being so nervous. Some of my shots didn’t go the way I wanted them to because I was a little shaky. I think getting more matches under my belt, hopefully, that will go away."
"Mentally, it took a lot, but there’s a zone of focus I get into where I don’t remember certain things. I was talking to Patrick [Mouratoglou] and he was like, 'You were a set down and a break down and a point to be 5-2 down,' and I couldn’t remember that. So I was kind of shocked. I just try to make every point count and eventually it adds up."
After beating Starodubtseva in the first round, Osaka can prepare for her second-round match against the 24th-seeded Liudmila Samsonova. The four-time Grand Slam champion admitted that she couldn't wait to play the biggest names in the sport.
She had a memorable match against Iga Swiatek last year, and the Japanese player is looking forward to adding another such match to her collection.
"I want to play with the big dogs so bad, and I just see everyone playing so well, and I want to do the same. But I have to remember it's a process."
