“Going to watch tapes of Serena Williams; That Iga Swiatek match did wonders for my confidence”: Naomi Osaka plans on improving on grass, clay in 2025

Naomi Osaka recently talked about improving her game on grass and clay surfaces for the 2025 season. She plans to learn from Serena Williams' exploits on grass and feed off the confidence she gained by troubling Iga Swiatek on clay at the 2024 French Open.

Osaka was in contention at the ongoing Canadian Open until she lost 6-3, 6-4 to Belgium's Elise Mertens in the second round on Friday, August 9. After the loss, she sat with the media and fielded questions about her performances during the clay and grass swing.

The highlight of the former World No. 1's 2024 season thus far has been her second-round meeting with Iga Swiatek at the French Open. She nearly toppled Swiatek at Philippe Chatrier by earning a match point, which the defending champion saved to prevail 7-6(1), 1-6, 7-5.

Naomi Osaka has claimed to have gained a lot from the said meeting.

"You know, that Iga match did wonders for my confidence, I'm not going to lie. I'm optimistically looking forward to clay next year," she said after the Canadian Open loss.

At this year's Wimbledon Championships, the four-time Grand Slam champion lost to Emma Navarro 6-4, 6-1 in the second round. Her best results at the grasscourt Major have been third-round finishes in 2017 and 2018, as she stands with a 5-4 win-loss record on the green surface at SW19.

She has shown a willingness to improve by learning from seven-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams.

"Grass, I'm looking at it from a distance (laughing), but I'm willing to learn, I'm going to watch a lot of tapes of Serena. That's kind of a next-year thing," Naomi Osaka added.

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Naomi Osaka: "I'm really focusing on US Open"

Naomi Osaka (Getty)

In the same press conference at the 2024 Canadian Open, Naomi Osaka said doing well at the US Open and during the Asian swing is next on her to-do list.

"I think for me now, I'm really focusing on US Open, Asia, that's kind of the areas that I thrive, so I'm, I don't know, looking forward to it," she said.

The Japanese tennis star will have the opportunity to get some court time under her belt at the Cincinnati Open ahead of the New York Major.

The 26-year-old has lifted the women's singles championship trophy at the US Open twice — in 2018 and 2020. She defeated Serena Williams in the 2018 final 6-2, 6-4 and overcame Victoria Azarenka 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the 2020 summit clash.