Naomi Osaka opens up on being ‘slapped in the ground’ by Iga Swiatek | Tennis | Sport

Naomi Osaka’s confidence took a hit ahead of the French Open, when four-time former champion Iga Swiatek “slapped [her] in the ground”. Metaphorically, of course. The clay has never been Osaka’s strongest surface, but she had been feeling more comfortable on the dirt this year. That was until Swiatek thrashed her 6-2 6-1 at the Italian Open.

The loss, Osaka said, knocked her confidence a lot. The former world No. 1 had already lost to Aryna Sabalenka in Madrid but felt better about that match, having led by a set and a break. Swiatek, however, didn’t give her a look.

“I feel like the clay season this year, it’s been a little bit hard to judge for me. Like, I felt like I was playing well in Madrid, but then obviously I played Sabalenka and I lost there. For me, I felt like I had my chances, which was a good takeaway. And then we went into Rome, which was a completely different type of clay, so I had to adjust there,” Osaka explained.

The world No. 16 played arguably the best clay match of her career in Rome, beating 19th seed Diana Shnaider 6-1 6-2. But she was the one who got a thrashing when she faced Swiatek.

“And then we went into Rome, which was a completely different type of clay, so I had to adjust there. I thought I played, like, my first two matches really well, and then, like, Iga said, ‘Hell no!’ She slapped me in the ground. I was, like, That was a little crazy,” Osaka joked.

“Honestly, that blew my confidence a lot, but I just had to step away, knowing that she’s like the best clay court player, and I still have a lot to learn. The score was wild, but it was a little bit closer, like, there was a lot of deuce games or whatever.”

Osaka gave an entertaining pre-tournament press conference at Roland Garros. It wasn’t just Swiatek “slapping her to the ground” that earned her some laughs. The 28-year-old also made a hilarious reference as she revealed that she sometimes secretly swore on the court.

“I probably shouldn’t be saying this, but it’s funny to hear you say I’m, like, poker face, because for me I feel like my facial expressions change a lot, and I actually curse a lot,” Osaka confessed.

“You know that Miranda Cosgrove meme, she’s like, ‘I actually curse a lot’. No, I actually do curse a lot on the court. I think I say it so softly you can’t hear it, and I’m really glad, because I don’t want to get fined for that.”

The world No. 16 will no doubt keep entertaining the tennis world in Paris this fortnight, and not just with her tennis, as she has another daring fashion moment planned after walking on court at the Australian Open with a large hat, veil and matching parasol. “I definitely would say I’m doing something here too. But I think that’s the fun part, you know. I feel like we lost that a little in tennis,” she said.

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