Naomi Osaka pushed Iga Swiatek incredibly hard in their match at the 2024 Roland Garros, and she explained what her approach to the match.
Very few players would seriously like to face the Pole on a clay court, let alone at Roland Garros, where she's been incredible and triumphed three times already. Oddly enough, the former world no. 1 is one of those few tennis players, as she looked forward to playing Swiatek.
It's a huge challenge in itself and a good way for her to measure herself and understand where she ranks in terms of other players. She probably overachieved in this match as she had a match point, but even so, being able to play on that level is significant for her confidence moving forward.
When asked about her approach after the match, Osaka admitted that she doesn't really think much about the players she faces. She usually focuses on herself and what she can do to win the match, and even though she lost to Swiatek, her approach worked.
"Honestly, it's interesting, but when I play really good players, I don't think about them. I think more about myself. Going into this match, first of all, for me, it's really fun. I feel like those are the moments that I practiced for so long anyways."
This approach worked out earlier as well because she had the same one against Serena Williams when she faced her in her maiden Grand Slam final at the US Open years ago. She won that match, though it's most remembered by the altercation between the umpire Carlos Ramos and Serena Williams.
"I was kind of approaching it with how I approached my match against Serena the first time in the US Open. I just wanted to focus on me, and no matter what happened outside of the court I didn't try to put my mind to it."
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