Naomi Osaka, formerly world No. 1 in women’s tennis, claimed that she has found the “will to fight” after winning against Julia Grabher to move forward to the ASB Classic quarter-finals.
With a performance record of 7-5 6-3, she will now advance to the WTA Tour’s competition’s round of eight for the first time in six months.
Since returning to the sport after her pregnancy, Osaka has had trouble consistently finding her best form yet again.
Highlights of the match
During the match, Osaka lost just 13 points on her serve, defended both break points against her opponent, and sent down five aces. She also had a great second serve.
Osaka admitted: “I’ve never played her before, so just getting into the groove of things is really difficult… Especially because she doesn’t have a traditional game style.”
The game was tied at 5-5 after an hour-long rain delay. Subsequently, Osaka was able to adjust her strategy after speaking with coach Patrick Mouratoglou.
Osaka stated: “After the rain delay, I was able to focus on the things I wanted to focus on a lot more, and I think that showed in the second set… I got some great advice from a great coach over there. I just tried to focus on my bullet points and go out swinging if I had to go out. But fortunately, I’m here to play another round.”
The tennis star declared she enjoyed rediscovering her competitive spirit. She said: “You need to have the will to fight more than the other person and I feel like I finally found that again. So I’m just really grateful for that.”
Currently, Osaka is in New Zealand to prepare for the Australian Open, which will start on January 12.
Source: Eurosport