Naomi Osaka has deviated from her initial plans and will play at the 2024 Rouen Open after receiving a wild card for the WTA 250 tournament.
A couple of weeks ago, we heard from Osaka that her coach told her to play as much tennis as possible. The Japanese player followed his advice and traveled to the Middle East, where she played at the Qatar Open in Doha.
That wasn't her original plan because her original plan had her doing well in Australia. That didn't happen, so she needed more matches, and she got them in Doha, as she actually played pretty well.
The Sunshine Double was a solid experience, but it wasn't quite what many thought it would be. She once again failed to win three matches in a row, which likely contributed to her signing up for the WTA event in Rouen.
She obviously didn't plan on playing at the event, as she wasn't part of the initial entry list, but she changed her mind. The clay-court season will begin after the Sunshine Double, and to prepare for WTA 1000 tournaments, she will need to play at lower-tier tournaments.
The last time Osaka played on clay was at the 2022 Roland Garros, which was one year after her controversial participation at the tournament, during which she declined to talk to the media.
Osaka will be Rouen on April 15th, when the event begins. A few important weeks are coming up for the Japanese player, and she needs all the time she can get on the surface ahead of Roland Garros and the Olympics.
Many players are targeting the Olympics, and it's going to be played on clay, so the more matches Osaka has on the red surface before it, the better her chances at the prestigious event will be.
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