Women’s tennis superstar Naomi Osaka has opened up on why she hasn’t been able to master clay. The current World No.2, who reinforced her status as a champion of hard courts with back-to-back Grand Slam titles at the 2020 US Open and this year’s Australian Open, slipped on clay yet again as she crashed out of the Madrid Open after losing to the Czech star Karolina Muchova.

Speaking to reporters after her Madrid loss, the Japanese superstar said while different players have their own unique ways of getting a measure of clay courts, she has realized that she needs to go harder at her opponents and not sit back and let them dictate terms on the surface.

Naomi Osaka says she needs to swing harder through the ball on clay

“I think for me clay court tennis, I think personally, I’m not sure how other players play, but I’m learning that on clay I can’t afford to not swing through every ball, because that automatically takes me from offense to defense,” Osaka said.

While conceding that she is not a natural clay-courter, the Japanese said she needs to bring out her big hits more often on the surface in a bid to switch from defense to offense and deflect the pressure on her opponent.

Trending

Roger Federer Breaks Partnership With Billion Dollar Worth Italian Brand Days After Coco Gauff’s Stunning Commercial Appearance

April 12, 2024 07:23 PM EDT

What Does Danielle Collins’ Boyfriend Do? Everything to Know about Her Lowkey Dating History

February 15, 2024 11:39 AM EST

Tennis News: Rafael Nadal Confirms Retirement ; Doping-Banned Mikael Ymer Announces Comeback; Stefanos Tsitsipas Dubbed as Hypocrite

April 15, 2024 06:22 PM EDT

Barcelona Open 2024: Cameron Norrie vs Tomas Martin Etcheverry; Preview, Head-to-Head, Prediction

April 19, 2024 10:31 AM EDT

Stuttgart Open 2024: Aryna Sabalenka vs Markéta Vondroušová; Preview, Head-to-Head, Prediction

April 19, 2024 09:04 AM EDT

Get instantly notified of the hottest Tennis stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

“Yeah, I think maybe on clay court, of course I’m not a professional clay court player, but I think on clay court it’s definitely a bit more important to hit when you can,” the four-time Grand Slam champion said.

Osaka says she needs to take the gamble of being the aggressor on clay

Osaka, who is decidedly more uptight on clay and less free-flowing than she is on preferred hard courts, said if she starts to move better she might have to defend more, but the gamble is well worth it.

“And maybe if I start being able to move better, I can risk starting to play on defense, but as of right now I think I should be the aggressor,” the 23-year-old Japanese said.

Sharing her thoughts on the Muchova clash, she said she was playing more “side to side” in the opening set when she could have swung harder at some balls and pushed her opponent into defense.

“When I was playing her in the first set, obviously I felt like I was moving side to side, especially on certain balls where I felt like I could have maybe hit through a little bit harder,” Osaka said.

“Way to Clear My Mind”: Naomi Osaka Opens Up on Balancing Career and Business

As the clay court action shifts to Rome next, it would be her last chance to iron out her flaws and implement the lessons learned before the French Open.