An unusual season for Naomi Osaka so far offers minimal hints about how she will fare in the frenzy of New York.
Since Osaka’s most recent time away from tennis, this time to give birth to her daughter, the former WTA number one has made no bones about wanting to return to the top.
A first round defeat in Melbourne at the beginning of the year wasn’t enough to waylay the lofty ambitions of the four-time grand slam champion.
Paris brought all the fanfare and energy that Osaka needed, pushing the eventual French Open champion to the limit, with Iga Swiatek surviving match points on her way to a narrow victory.
Osaka’s thundering defeat of Ons Jabeur was followed up by a whimpering display against Elise Mertens.
The 26-year-old is capable of rediscovering her form, but will the US Open adhere to her script and launch her back into the conversation.
Chris Evert is worried about Naomi Osaka’s attitude
With Osaka awarded a wildcard into the US Open, and on account of some poor form from many of the main contenders, the two-time winner in New York might feel optimistic about her chances.
On account of her topsy turvy form so far this year, with limited success on the hard courts, Chris Evert is remaining cautious about Osaka’s US Open prospects.
“She’s going through some doubtful times,” Evert told the LA Times. “We’ll see if she can get that magic, because it is the U.S. Open. She has won this title, so let’s see if she can get that magic going. I think her story, her journey, remains to be seen.”
“I know she has the game, but it takes more than the game,” Evert said. “It takes a lot of confidence and a lot of focus. We’ll see. She’s in a different part of her life right now where it seems she’s so calm and she’s so relaxed and happy and peaceful.
“The mental problems haven’t really affected her. She has a child, which she is madly in love with. Sometimes when you are too happy, that can’t always be good either, I don’t know, for us to be intense and fierce.”
The demands of the modern game sometimes require a certain tunnel-vision approach if you want to reach the top and that’s the point I think Evert is trying to make here.
Is Naomi Osaka ready for the US Open?
An inconsistent season so far might not yet ring the alarm bells for Osaka.
Ambitious often but measured nearly always, the 26-year-old has clearly undergone a journey through new pastures, with her time away from tennis impacting her game in nuanced ways.
An altered emphasis on winning and losing could go either way for Osaka.
It could free up her game, give her the license to find her best form again. Or it could end up taking away a crucial piece of competitive spirit, as Evert hints at.
With the US Open fast approaching, it’s difficult to predict which version of Osaka we will see – indeed there may well be multiple.
However, what we do know is that if the 26-year-old starts motoring, she can beat anyone.
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