Osaka Looking At Swiatek & Sabalenka 'As Inspiration' As She's 'Learning Again'

Sunday, 26 May 2024 at 03:00

osaka naomi madrid24 imagoricardolarreinaamador2

byZachary Wimer

Naomi Osaka admitted ahead of the 2024 Roland Garros that she's inspired by Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka as she tries to get back to the top.

The Japanese player is not yet at the top or close to it, but she's quickly improving and getting better. It's only natural because we're talking about one of the best players in recent times, even with her mental struggles and lack of motivation at times.

She's played decently on clay recently and will hope to continue that at Roland Garros, though it won't be easy. She's looking at other players and how they're doing it, and recently, it's been mostly Swiatek and Sabalenka.

These two players played in the final of the two most recent big events on clay, so obviously, Osaka will look to them for inspiration. However, she noted that they're quite a bit more consistent than she ever was, which was an interesting admission.

Read also

Becker Reveals Moment Djokovic Lost 'Some Of His Magic' But Backs Him To Get 'Mojo Back'

"I mean, I feel like you would have to tell me that (smiling). I think that's kind of more of an outside perspective. For me, I'm so focused on what I'm doing. And I know, like, they're playing incredible tennis and they're doing it almost always. And I was never the type of player to do that, anyways."

The former world no. 1 will get a chance to go head-to-head against one of the players that she's inspired by, as she may take on Swiatek already in the second round of the tournament.

"So I'm looking at them as an inspiration, and I don't know. This part of my journey, I'm not really comparing myself right now. Maybe later when I get more confident and towards the level that I want, maybe on hard court I can start doing that, but as of right now, I really feel like I'm really just kind of learning again."