Iga Swiatek outlines what Naomi Osaka has taught her ahead of Roland Garros second-round clash

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Iga Swiatek outlined what she learnt from her next opponent Naomi Osaka.

Two of the WTA’s multiple Grand Slam champions will take on one another in the second round of the French Open.

This will be just the pair’s third ever meeting and it is certainly one of the biggest matchups of the clay court major’s first week.

It is unusual for Swiatek to play someone of Osaka’s calibre so early in a tournament, but one thing is for certain, the World number one is ready for the challenge.

Iga Swiatek outlines what she learnt from Naomi Osaka

Swiatek has dominated tennis for the past two years and at the age of 22 has four Grand Slams and over 100 weeks at number one on her résumé.

Though Swiatek has made it look easy on the court at times, she has battled some mental demons and has a psychologist to help through challenging periods.

She was inspired to take better care of her mental wellbeing by Osaka, who previously withdrew from the French Open in 2021 to prioritise her mental health.

“I did (learn from Naomi). We had knowledge that it’s not easy to be in that place with all the pressure around you,” Swiatek said ahead of her match with the Japanese star.

“So basically looking at that, I think my team was pretty smart in terms of planning everything well, tennis-wise obviously, but I mean more like from the business side of tennis.

“Dealing with success is not easy, and I think we did everything really smart, but I don’t know how it would be without looking at stories of other players.”

What is Iga Swiatek and Naomi Osaka’s head-to-head record?

Swiatek and Osaka have played against one another on two previous occasions.

The first came in 2019 at the Toronto Masters, when the Pole was just 18 and Osaka was ranked number two in the world. The 27-year-old claimed a 7-6(4), 6-4 win that day.

Three years later, in contrast to their first meeting, Swiatek was the number one player and Osaka was unseeded when the pair faced each other in the Miami Open final.

In 2022 Swiatek began to find her groove on hard courts and she dispatched Osaka 6-4, 6-0 to claim the title for the first time and win the US Open later that year.