Naomi Osaka's coach, Wim Fissette, spoke about his player, admitting that there shouldn't be any unreasonable expectations from her on clay.
Osaka was never known to be a great clay player, and she still isn't. There is potential for her to develop into a great one in the future, but getting there takes a lot of work and, most notably, experience.
For the former world no. 1, it's not a skill issue per se; it's more about not having enough experience because she didn't play on the surface much in the past.
Skipping most of the clay-court part of the season wasn't anything weird for Osaka in her earlier years, but she's changed her approach now, wanting to improve on the surface.
We saw some encouraging performances in Rome this week, and overall, her coach is happy with the process.
"I'm really happy with the process, it's amazing to see where we started in October and to see where we are now. As for clay, I know it's been a long time since she's stepped on this surface, a long time since he's won matches here, so we can't expect miracles. We can expect it, but we have to be realistic."
The more time Osaka spends on clay, the better she'll get. She needs to win matches to play more, and that's also the goal at the WTA 1000 tournament in Rome. The Roland Garros will be the ultimate test, and depending on how these upcoming weeks unfold, she could be quite competitive there.
"It's all about the experience, the time spent on this surface. It's different, you need time to make some technical adjustments. Of course, the movement is different, the bounce is different, the contact is at a much higher point."
"If you think about her journey these past five years, how many hours has Naomi spent on clay? How many games have you played on this surface? In spite of everything, what I'm seeing these days is very promising."