Naomi Osaka says what she saw Novak Djokovic do before her first round Australian Open match which inspired her victory

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Naomi Osaka has continued in her quest to get back to the top of women’s tennis with a fine Australian Open first round win.

Osaka rose to 50th in the WTA rankings ahead of the Australian Open, having reached the final of the ASB Classic.

But Osaka retired with an abdominal injury, with the former WTA number one having led Clara Tauson by one set in Auckland.

But the former has bounced back in superb fashion, defeating Caroline Garcia 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in the opening round in Melbourne.

She wowed Rod Laver Arena with the win over former world number four Garcia, with Osaka having been inspired by the match right before hers.

Naomi Osaka’s Australian Open first round win inspired by Novak Djokovic match

In the first game of the night session on Rod Laver Arena on day two, Novak Djokovic came from a set down to beat American teenager Nishesh Basavareddy.

Osaka referenced both ATP players in her post-match press conference, saying: “In the third set I definitely wanted to be really focused.

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“Honestly, I was inspired by, though it was a little long, the Djokovic match before me. I was really impressed by, I’m going to butcher his name, but the kid that Djokovic played.

“I thought it was really cool how focused he was. Even though he cramped, he was still intent on playing the match.

“On Djokovic’s side, it was so cool how he’s so determined to win all the time. I saw him screaming, C’mon. Yeah, I try to focus a lot like that, as well.”

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Osaka needed one hour and 45 minutes to make it past Garcia, with Djokovic taking two hours and 59 minutes to edge past Basavareddy.

It was a spirited display from the 19-year-old, who gave the Serbian a brief scare on what was his Grand Slam debut.

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But like Osaka, Djokovic used all of his experience to ride out the storm and book a second round spot in Melbourne.

And along with the match before hers, the four-time Grand Slam champion will have taken plenty of motivation from wanting revenge on Garcia, who knocked her out of the competition at the same stage last year, remarkably on the same court.

The 10-time Australian Open champion now takes on Portuguese youngster Jaime Faria, with Osaka facing a very tough test against Karolina Muchova.

Czech ace Muchova is the 20th seed at Melbourne Park, with her only Grand Slam final coming against Iga Swiatek at the 2023 French Open, which she lost.