"I want to win either Rome or Madrid" - Osaka keen on proving doubters wrong
WTA
Naomi Osaka was never the strongest clay-court player, but she is ready to prove the doubters wrong and win on the surface.
The Japanese player arrived in Madrid early to prepare for the WTA 1000 event in the Spanish capital, where she had one of her best runs on clay in her career. Osaka can play strong on the surface, but for her, it's about getting familiar with it.
She does not have continuity on it, and she worked on it this year. To be more comfortable, she travelled to Mallorca to the Rafa Nadal Tennis Academy, where she observed the legend.
"I stole one of the things that he does and I've been practising it recently so it will either go really good or really bad. There is no in-between."
She further explained that while taking it one match at a time with small goals, she wants to win on the surface. She has the Madrid Open and the Italian Open in Rome as her goals, and her first match in Madrid will be against a qualifier.
"I'm taking one tournament at a time. Of course, I want to win matches and reach the semis either here in Madrid or in Rome (Italian Open), hopefully, win, but I'll set little goals first."
She was also asked about her mental health, which remains a hot topic with Osaka, especially since she's more open to discussing it now, and once again, she did not shy away from an honest response.
"I'm not going to lie, it's not like every day is being perfect. I talk to my therapist at least once a week and I just try to be more open to things. Say something happens that kind of throws my off my groove, I try to see it from a different perspective. I was talking to my therapist about that, being more open to all the possibilities."
