Naomi Osaka claims she’s definitely improved one part of her game on clay ahead of the French Open

Naomi Osaka is among the in-form players heading into the French Open, with the Grand Slam now underway in Paris.

Osaka could be a huge threat at the French Open, a tournament in which the former WTA number one is unseeded.

Four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka has only ever reached the third round at Roland Garros, which she has done on three occasions.

And she has been handed a tough start at the 2025 French Open, with 10th seed Paula Badosa her opening opponent.

The pair were meant to meet at the Italian Open earlier this month, but the Spaniard withdrew due to a back injury.

Naomi Osaka pinpoints improvement ahead of French Open first round

They are now all set for their first-ever WTA meeting, with Osaka having discussed her recent endeavours on clay before the match.

She told reporters ahead of the clash: “I don’t know if I’d be able to answer you specifically about movement on clay.

“I do think my movement overall has gotten better, so I can only answer you on that. But yeah, on clay, I think I’m enjoying sliding a lot.

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“I’ve played quite a few… or I’ve played a lot of players that drop shotted me, so just sliding to those has been kind of fun, frustrating but fun.

“And yeah just overall, transitioning on using power to be fast on the surface, it’s been a really good learning experience.”

Osaka has been impressing on clay courts in recent times, having just reached the last 16 of the Italian Open.

That run, which was ended by Peyton Stearns, followed a successful venture at the L’Open 35 de Saint Malo.

Osaka took the surprising decision to play the WTA 125 tournament, but it proved to be a superb decision as she went on to lift the trophy.

That will have given her great confidence for her clay game and indeed her overall game, which she needs to be in top shape to make it past Badosa.

Naomi Osaka vs Paula Badosa 2025 stats

Fatigue and fitness could, however, decide the winner, with both players having perhaps not been as busy as they would have liked in 2025.

Badosa has been plagued by a back injury in recent times, and like Osaka has recently been forced to withdraw from matches or entire tournaments.