Naomi Osaka feels that she has been given a difficult 2024 Australian Open draw against Caroline Garcia.
Osaka is very early into her return to tennis, with the Australian Open being just her second tournament back. The Japanese star was away for over a year on maternity leave after the birth of her first child.
Osaka won the first match of her comeback in Brisbane and then lost a very tight second-round contest against two-time Grand Slam runner-up Karolina Pliskova. Now, she faces the prospect of former WTA Finals champion Garcia in Melbourne.
Yet, the four-time Grand Slam champion's confidence has not been dented by her time away from tennis. Osaka recently said that winning a Grand Slam this year is not impossible.
However, the two-time Australian Open champion is fully aware of the challenge that Garcia poses and also expressed her admiration for the Frenchwoman in her Australian Open press conference.
"I think it's definitely tough, of course. She's seeded. Whenever I play her, I always think she is an incredible player. She has every shot that a top-five player needs."
That is high praise coming from someone as immensely talented and successful as Osaka. It is true that at her best, Garcia possesses one of the most devastating games in women's tennis that is capable of blowing almost anyone away.
Osaka also turned the challenge of facing someone of Garcia's class in the first round into a positive, feeling it could help her later in the tournament if she manages to come through it.
"Hopefully during the match I'm able to, I guess, have things go my way. Yeah, in a weird way I'm glad I'm playing a seed so that hopefully, If I get through that, the next match won't be as difficult."
Osaka, who has been warned that coming back is never easy, will need a great performance to beat Garcia. But regardless of who wins, it promises to be one of the best matches of the opening round.
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