Naomi Osaka said multiple times during her comeback that she may be a bit delusional, and the delusion almost helped her to beat Iga Swiatek at the 2024 Roland Garros.
You can be delusional if you're one of the most talented tennis players in recent decades, and even less successful athletes can trick themselves into believing that they may be able to beat the best, and that's how the greatest upsets are created.
Osaka is a bit delusional, according to her own words, and she showed it against Swiatek. She held match points against three-time Roland Garros champion Swiatek, which is an incredible achievement considering her track record on clay, which is far from ideal.
How did she do it? Well, she believed that she can do it despite how delusional that might have been.
"I mean, I told people I was a little delusional when I was coming back, but I think for me I kind of see my game as being good against anybody. I also was raised with not having any fear. I think going into a match fearing someone is kind of pointless."
Confidence is a huge part of tennis, and if players have confidence in their game, like Osaka, they believe more that they will win the match. After all, it's a tennis match. She played her best match since her comeback, so it wasn't an average outing by any means.
"So yeah, I don't necessarily think about damaging my opponent, but I'm more focused on what I think I can accomplish. I still feel like I can accomplish a lot."
She still failed to win, but overall, it was a positive experience that she can build upon. If she continues playing this well, she'll be in the mix for the US Open, where she triumphed before.