‘I have never been that nervous before in my life,’ admits Naomi Osaka

Michael Graham 29 May 2019 11:51 AM

Naomi Osaka looks dejected at French Open PA

Naomi Osaka has admitted she was overcome with nerves as she played at a Grand Slam as world number one for the first time on Tuesday.

The Japanese star was bageled in the first set and a break down in the second before somehow managing to salvage a 0-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-1 win to book her passage into the French Open second round.

And, after the match, came the startling admission.

“For me, I think this is the most nervous I have ever been my entire life during a match,” Osaka told reporters.

“I think you could see that in the first set. I was literally not hitting any balls in the court.

“For me, today was weird because usually, the nerves go away, but it kind of stayed the entire match. Then I just felt like it was a fight of willpower.”

Osaka did, of course, still manage to win the match despite her struggles.

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How, therefore, does she begin to analyse the performance? Typically, she has her theories.

“Yeah, I managed to win in the end, so I can give you logical reasons, but I’m not really a logical person.

“Logical reasons, first time playing a Grand Slam as No. 1. Won the last two, so I kind of want to win this one really bad.

“I have never played on Chatrier before. This was my first time. And, yeah, I kind of feel like I’m having the thought of wanting to prove myself again.

“So I was just thinking, like, I have so many shots that I normally feel like I would hit well, and then it was just one of those, like, I was sort of just, ‘what was my thought process behind that?’

“Yeah, for me today was a bit tough, because, like, it’s one of those matches where you’re not playing well but you have to find a way to win.

“For me, I’ve just begun learning how to do that.”

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