Naomi Osaka may have just proven a point to herself after playing Aryna Sabalenka at the Madrid Open.
Osaka was beaten by Sabalenka in straight sets at Indian Wells, in what was just their second professional meeting.
The 28-year-old then lost back-to-back matches, with Osaka making a retirement suggestion following her defeat to Talia Gibson in Miami.
Although Osaka did not beat Sabalenka, she has still shown that she should not be hanging up her rackets anytime soon.
Naomi Osaka can still compete against the very best players
Osaka is a former world number one and four-time Grand Slam champion, so she understandably has very high expectations of herself.
The Japanese star has also explained how her priorities have changed since becoming a mother, with Osaka no longer willing to hang around for first round losses.
Osaka appears to have fuelled a fire in herself since making these statements and has been hugely impressive at the Madrid Open this year.
After beating Camila Osorio and Anhelina Kalinina in straight sets, Osaka had the opportunity to really test herself against Sabalenka, who is a three-time former champion in Madrid.
Osaka put up a much better account of herself against Sabalenka in Madrid than Indian Wells, and actually found herself a set and a break up against the world number one.
Even in the third set, Osaka was putting Sabalenka to the test, before eventually losing the match 6(1)-7, 6-3, 6-2.
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It has been over five years since Osaka’s last Grand Slam win, but she has shown that she still has the ability to compete amongst the world’s best.
Osaka should not be thinking about retiring anytime soon and instead should perhaps play a more reduced schedule, so that she can be refreshed to play her best tennis against the best players, as she did in Madrid.
Naomi Osaka plays some of her best tennis on clay courts
Osaka is known as a hard-court specialist, having won all four of her Grand Slam titles at either the Australian Open or the US Open.
Hard courts are definitely Osaka’s best surface, as she has won all seven of her main tour titles on them, but she has also proven herself as a more than respectable clay court player.
Since returning to the WTA Tour from her maternity leave in 2024, two of the best matches Osaka has played have been on clay courts.
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Iga Swiatek is a dominant force at Roland Garros, but she had to save a match point to beat Osaka at the 2024 tournament.
The then world number one Swiatek would go on to win her fourth Roland Garros title without dropping a set, showing just how well Osaka actually played.
Osaka has produced even more brilliant clay court tennis against Sabalenka in Madrid, and while she was on the losing side once again, she would have beaten nearly every other player on the WTA Tour with this level of performance.
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