Martina Navratilova was not impressed with Naomi Osaka's 2024 Australian Open performance, rating it as a C, which surprised many tennis fans.
Rating things is something that many people do, but quite a lot of people refuse to do, considering it tacky. As a tennis analyst, Martina Navratilova had no issues rating Naomi Osaka's comeback performance at the Australian Open, giving it a C.
It's not the best mark, but it wasn't also the best performance from Osaka in Melbourne. She faced a pretty good player in Caroline Garcia, and was beaten 4-6, 6-7(2).
Osaka didn't play too terribly, but she failed to exert any kind of pressure on Garcia, and Navratilova blamed it on not being in good enough shape. Speaking to the Tennis Channel, Navratilova gave her tennis a B+ while overall a C.
"Tennis-wise, maybe a B+, but overall, a C because she [Naomi Osaka] couldn’t get to the ball that she wants to hit because she’s not in shape."
"I’m surprised that she really started playing, that she got on the tour, and that she played this tournament without clearly being in the top shape that she needs to be in order to put herself in the position to hit the big, big balls."
It's not a wrong analysis by Navratilova, as Osaka really struggled to create any kind of pressure, which the breakpoint stat kind of proves. It's not typical for her, and while Garcia served really well, the usual Osaka would have found a way to put the ball into play.
"She was stretched out way too much, and the fact that she never had a break point tells you everything you need to know about that match."
The solution is simple according to Navratilova - get in shape. For the American, Osaka is not ready for the highest level yet, even though she believed she could be.
"Just get more fit and play with a lot more sense in practice so that when you play the match, you know you’ve been there, done that, but most of all, just put in the yards."
"I think on the court and off the court, ‘cause the girls, they hit the ball too hard. You have to be quick off the mark to get to the ball to be able to hit your shot that you want to hit."
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