Naomi Osaka is pleased with how her season is progressing so far, but she reiterates that there is a lot more to come after her opening-round win at the Italian Open.
Osaka joined the WTA caravan on the tour of the European clay swing shortly after helping Japan qualify for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals. She played her first clay-court tournament in two years in Rouen and unsurprisingly fell short in a first-round defeat to Martina Trevisan.
A week later, she picked up her first win on the dirt since the 2022 French Open, beating Greet Minnen in Madrid. In the tournament's second round, she lost to Russia's Liudmila Samsonova in a tight three-set match.
Osaka has since traveled to Rome to play in the Italian Open, living by her promise that she wanted to play in a fair amount of tournaments following her maternity leave.
Although her record on clay doesn't stand out when compared to hard courts, Osaka is determined to succeed. After her opening-round win over Clara Burel at the Foro Italico, she admitted to being inspired by Jelena Ostapenko's triumph at the French Open.
Osaka shared the required skillset to play well and consistently win on clay during an interview on Sky Sports. And talking of a comeback, the Japanese star is aware that getting the results she wants is not an overnight achievement but a process she hopes to achieve.
"I'm still figuring that out (to win on clay). I think my serve is one of the most important parts of my game. I try to make it as effective as it can be. I think honestly, just putting my energy on every single ball and knowing that some things won't go my way. Just have a very open mind."
"I'm being as kind as I can be (on comeback goals). I have to constantly remind myself to be kind. I think it's tough that I want results to come right away. Obviously, it's a long road, a process, so it'll be really sweet when I eventually get what I want."