Naomi Osaka has had an interesting comeback so far, but she's ahead of schedule, according to former world no. 1, Andy Roddick.
There were a few interviews where the Japanese player dropped some bombshells about her comeback. She hinted at being capable of winning the Australian Open, which was obviously quite too optimistic.
She firmly believes that she can return to the Top 10 on the WTA Tour by Wimbledon, which is quite ambitious, but still, it's an achievable goal for her.
Looking at the way she has played so far certainly suggests she could do it. Fitness was arguably her biggest problem, and it's getting better with every event.
She played really well in Doha, and performances like those actually showed former player Andy Roddick that she was ahead of schedule.
"I actually think she's probably ahead of schedule because you can play those tough matches and actually pull a couple out pretty early in a comeback. That's kind of a big deal to have your body actually go through a couple of weeks in a row."
" I was kind of really, really happy when she talked, pre-Australia, about playing the full schedule. If she gets the reps and can get back, I don't question the tennis. The ball striking looked phenomenal."
When it comes purely to tennis, Osaka looks pretty good. Some things need to happen for her to really find her stride, but there is very little to be unhappy about.
The more she plays, the better she'll be, and her goals don't seem far-fetched when you consider how well she's playing under the circumstances.
"That is done through reps, and the confidence in those moments is not recreated in practice in Beverly Hills. It's just not. So for her to get back out there, I thought this was a really, really good result."
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