Naomi Osaka is already thinking about the US summer hard court swing despite currently playing on clay.
The 27-year-old has enjoyed all her success in tennis so far on the concrete, including her four Grand Slams titles which came at the Australian and US Open.
After 16 months away from the tour, the former World Number One made her comeback on hard courts back in January, with her best result being a quarter-final showing in Doha.
Now on the clay, Osaka is determined to continue building momentum and she expects to be back playing her best tennis on a consistent basis later this year.
What did Naomi Osaka tell people about her return to top form?
After defeating Clara Burel in her opening match at the Italian Open, Osaka spoke about the challenges of trying to return to top form.
She is aware of the task of consistently beating players who have played considerably more tennis than her since she left the tour in September 2022 and had baby Shai.
Despite the obstacles that lie ahead, Osaka predicted that she will peak in time for a return to the States in August and September.
“I told people that September’s US hard court swing is probably where I’ll hopefully get a really big result but other than that I’m going to keep trying as hard as I can,” she told tennis Channel.
“I don’t have as many matches under my belt as the players that I’m playing, so I’m just trying to be as humble as I can.
“I really want to win and I’m taking the steps I can to do that but I know it’s a process and I’m trying as hard as I can on every point.”
Which titles has Naomi Osaka won during the US summer hard court swing?
The slick and fast US summer hard courts are ideal for Osaka’s hard hitting and first-trike style of tennis.
She is able to use the pace of the court effectively and often dictate rallies with her deep and powerful groundstrokes, something which proves more difficult to achieve on the slower and higher bouncing surface of clay.
Osaka’s first triumph in this section of the season came at the 2018 US Open. She had already achieved success in America that year by winning the Indian Wells title six months earlier.
In her first major final at just 20 years of age, she overcame the distractions both from the raucous New York crowd and a frustrated Serena Williams on the other side of the net to claim a 6-2, 6-4 victory and win her first Grand Slam.
Two years later, Osaka reached the final of the Cincinnati Masters, one of the final events before the US Open. However, she was unable to play the final against Victoria Azarenka after sustaining a hamstring injury.
She would get another chance to play the same opponent just weeks later in the US Open final, where Osaka rallied from a set down to win 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 and add to her impressive résumé.
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