By Richard Paglaro | @TennisNow | Wednesday, August 7, 2024
Photo credit: Rob Newell/CameraSport
Naomi Osaka wears headphones for the walk-on and is tuned into a signature sound during play.
The former world No. 1 returned to her favored hard courts in Toronto today looking like Naomi Osaka and sounding like Iga Swiatek.
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Osaka sped through seven of the last eight games sweeping two-time Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur 6-3, 6-1 in her Toronto opener.
Four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka won 20 of 26 first-serve points and did not face a break point in a one hour, 11-minute victory.
Afterward, Osaka she’s striving to emulate Swiatek’s squeaky sneaker sound off the hard court to keep as a reminder to keep her feet active.
“I think during those, like the first few tournaments, I was kind of relying on, like, my talent and I guess my, like what I knew until that point, but tennis is evolving and everyone gets better,” Osaka said. “I really wanted to watch the players and learn from them. I was telling you guys last time, but I’m really trying to, like, do the squeaky feet like Iga, and I think I did it quite well today, so thankfully that’s working out.
Transitioning from Roland Garros’ red clay where Osaka lost to fellow former world No. 1 Angelique Kerber at the Paris Olympics to Toronto’s blue hard court is a welcome transition for Osaka, who calls the surface “my treasured hard court.”
All four of Osaka’s Grand Slam titles have come on hard court and she looked right at home today in Toronto playing her brand of attacking baseline tennis.
“I would say my favorite thing about hard court, I don’t know, it’s fast, but it’s not too fast,” Osaka told the media in Toronto. “Like, I feel like on grass it’s somehow a little bit reactive, and I obviously couldn’t get used to that quick enough, but on hard it kind of gives me at least a second to, I guess, build up the point.
“I also feel like that might also be the reason why I did better on clay as opposed to grass, just because I do quite like building the point.”
An impressive aspect of Osaka’s win over Jabeur today was her first-serve percentage was only 45 percent, but she backed her second serve solidly winning 58 percent of second-serve points.
Next up for Osaka is Elise Mertens, who defeated Katie Volynets 6-3, 6-1.
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