How unexpected appearance in Saint-Malo reignited Osaka’s clay-court swing
The world No 48 claimed her first title since returning from maternity leave 17 months ago, after a late decision to play at the challenger event in Saint-Malo
Naomi Osaka, Saint-Malo, 2025 © Khadim Sylla / Tennis Majors
Naomi Osaka is, by her own admission, a “hard-court kid.”
Having won all four of her Grand Slam titles on the hard courts of Melbourne and New York, the former world No 1 has never been past the third round at either Roland-Garros or Wimbledon – played on clay and grass courts respectively.
Indeed, prior to last week, she had never won a trophy away from her beloved hard courts.
Which is why it is so surprising that Osaka’s first title since returning from maternity leave in January last year – and her first since lifting the Australian Open back in 2021 – came on the clay courts of Saint-Malo.
Speaking to press following her first-round victory over home hope Sara Errani at this fortnight’s Italian Open, Osaka shed light on why this unexpected title run has given a different complexion to her clay-court campaign this year.
“I would say this clay court season’s different because I’m coming into it with a lot more wins,” she said.
“Obviously I would say I’m a lot more comfortable on clay now, but that’s also from my experience of last year, too.
“I think I was really lucky to play some really good matches on clay last year. I had that in my mind when I’m playing in Saint-Malo and when I’m playing here. I think it’s an accumulation of all of those.”
missing time with her daughter helped fuel osaka’s title run
True, the tournament in Saint-Malo was on the Challenger Tour, the level below the WTA circuit, yet Osaka came through five matches against some experienced opponents – including home-grown clay-courter Diane Parry, against whom Osaka overturned a 4-1 deficit in the final set.
The four-time major champion was candid in her admission that her daughter was on her mind during that match, and across her week in Northern France.
“I guess that match [against Parry] definitely I was really stressed out,” Osaka continued.
“It wasn’t necessarily, like, thinking people were going to say whatever, whatever, if I lost. I was just more missing my daughter a lot.
“I was thinking, like, I wonder if the time would have been spent better after Madrid going to see her really quickly as opposed to playing the tournament, which luckily I was able to snap out of that.
“It’s kind of funny. During tennis, sometimes you don’t think about tennis at all.”
disappointment of madrid gives way to most successful clay-court week of osaka’s career
After a disappointing first-round loss to Lucia Bronzetti at the Madrid Open, this year’s clay-court swing looked set to be another struggle for the world No 48.
But to her great credit, Osaka turned that setback into a highly positive and productive week. She is now arguably better equipped to tackle the European clay stretch than she ever has been before, having secured a maiden clay-court title and now strung together six consecutive victories on the surface for the first time in her career.
And to think, Osaka almost didn’t make the trip to Saint-Malo, revealing that it had been a last-minute decision to compete at the 125-level event.
“I think going there for me is something that I wasn’t expecting because I kind of told everyone I would just play Madrid and Rome,” Osaka explained.
“Patrick kind of proposed going there. I knew I needed matches anyways, so that’s kind of how that came about. But yeah, I’m really glad that I did end up going there.”
With that in mind, perhaps the initial disappointment of her early exit in Madrid may in fact have paved the way for Osaka’s most successful clay-court swing yet.
For a player of such quality, it was always only a matter of time.
