Osaka and how a ballet dancer is helping him on the court

Naomi Osaka started off on the right foot on the hard courts of the WTA Toronto. It had been about 5 months since she had competed on her favorite surface, since her defeat against Caroline Garcia in the Miami tournament. Nonetheless, she swept past Ons Jabeur in the first round, showing her eagerness to step onto these kinds of courts. Thus, in a press conference after her victory, the former Japanese number 1 shared her initial impressions in Canada.

- Do you miss facing the best players in the world?

"I really missed it, that's the reason why I came back. I think, for me, where I am now offers a good test to see how my skills stack up against others'. So, I was a bit excited to face Ons Jabeur in the first round," said Naomi Osaka at the WTA Toronto.

- Playing well on fast courts, does it come naturally to you?

"A bit, yes. I think I have played many matches on hard courts and I learned a lot from my last match on this type of court against Caroline Garcia in Miami. It took me a bit, but I'm very happy to be back on hard courts, even in the way I'm returning now after the clay, so I hope I can continue implementing the things I've learned over the months."

- How do you feel about this surface after returning to the courts?

"During the first tournaments, I trusted my talent and what I knew up until then, but tennis is evolving and everyone is improving. I was eager to observe the players and learn from them. I'm trying to have flawless footwork like Iga and I think I've done quite well. [...] I was trying to stay focused in the match, but I don't feel like I could have achieved this result against Ons before, so I'm very happy. It seems like I'm learning a bit over the years."

- A role model and an inspiration for mothers

"Today, while signing autographs, a mother talked to me, she said she was going through a tough time and something I said on the court helped her. For me, that's a great honor. I still feel like I'm discovering myself, so it always surprises me a bit when someone says that something I said or did has helped them. I value it a lot. I think we're all trying to overcome something and do it the best way we know how."

- Your willingness to look to Swiatek to improve your movement and the hiring of a ballet dancer for that purpose

"Simone has helped me a lot with my movement and she's also like my mental coach. I haven't been injured all this time, and I want to thank her and Flo for that. I've been having ballet lessons with her, I told her that one of my goals is to do the famous Split Forehand like Clijsters and Serena. So, I hope to achieve it maybe in the coming months. If you see me doing it on the court, know that we've been working very hard on it."

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Osaka y cómo una bailarina de ballet le está ayudando sobre las pistas