Naomi Osaka has an air of invincibility about her right now. She doesn’t quite have the presence of Serena Williams yet, but she will in years to come. The Japanese star was one game away from defeat in the 2nd round of the French Open today, but I never thought she would lose the match. When it was Angelique Kerber or Caroline Wozniacki in the same position earlier this tournament, I didn’t expect a fight back, with Osaka it’s different. She’s a winning machine, and defeat seems out the question. I forget Osaka is 21 when I watch her play, she carries all the attributes of a player that is experienced and won multiple grand slams, like a Serena or Venus Williams.
Jelena Ostapenko burst onto the scene at this tournament in 2017, and won her maiden grand slam title. You either kick on from that, develop and use the winning experience to your advantage. Or, you crumble under the pressure of becoming a champion, and struggle to live upto new expectations and to perform at a consistent high level. Ostapenko has completely fell apart since winning the title at Roland Garros two years ago. The crushing winners have turned into wayward, erratic errors. It’s a shame, but it also highlights just how special Naomi Osaka is.
The thing about Osaka that impresses me most, is the way that she wins. Yes she’s a superb tennis player, we all know that. Her serve is a huge weapon, the devastating ground-strokes, shot variation, she’s got it all. But, when things aren’t going quite right, she seems to really dig in and find a way to win; which is a sign of a champion that could dominate the sport for many years.
Osaka excites me. Although I like to see open tournaments and new champions, if Osaka could dominate this era of women’s tennis, she will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest ever women’s players. And I’m backing her to do it. We have seen many new women grand slam champions over recent years; Garbiñe Muguruza, Sloan Stephens, Jelena Ostapenko, Victoria Azarenka, Simona Halep, Angelique Kerber, Caroline Wozniacki, Petra Kvitova, however I’ve never felt as if any of them could truly dominate the game and win a string of grand slams. I feel different about Osaka. She’s bidding to become just the second women’s player ever to win three consecutive grand slams, after Serena Williams.
Despite entering this tournament on the back of poor performances on clay, and struggling with an injury, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Osaka in the final come next Saturday. Not because she’s the best player in the world, but because she’s a fighter and a champion. She’s proven time and time again in grand slams, that a comeback is never out of her reach. Go back to the Australian Open earlier this year, trailing 7-5 4-1 to Wei-Su-Hsieh in round three, then Osaka won 11 out of 12 games to win 5-7 6-4 6-1. I think only herself and Serena Williams could do that in the world. I don’t think any other player on the women’s tour would have that mental strength and belief in their game, to mount a fightback. Osaka went onto win the title after that, coming through three more final set deciders.
I was watching her today, and she was down 0-6 4-5, it felt like the 2019 Australian Open all over again. It’s almost like she wants to feel down and out, because it kicks her into gear and starts her tournament. It’s no fluke. Many players would think its not their year, I’m not playing well, not Osaka. She has that strength, physically and mentally, to fight and be aggressive until the very last point, and it’s proving to be a special weapon.
Whether she wins this years French Open or not, the Japanese superstar is demonstrating she has the steely attitude, battling qualities and talent to become a dominant figure in women’s tennis. I’m excited for her and Japan to see how much success will come her way. Right now, the sky is the limit, everything is going well at the grand slams. Wimbledon awaits. Then it’s back to her favoured hard courts in Flushing Meadows, which she is lightening quick around, and has the brutal ground-strokes to make her a clear favourite heading into the US Open.
Bravo Naomi Osaka.
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