Naomi Osaka’s return to Flushing Meadows carries the burden of two championship reminiscences and the promise of a reworked sport. The previous world No. 1 arrives on the 2025 US Open with renewed confidence, crediting her improved health and work with coach Tomasz Wiktorowski for elevating her tennis to new heights.
After reaching the Canadian Open last, the place she fell to Victoria Mboko, Osaka enters the match because the third seed, prepared so as to add one other chapter to her New York success story.
How Has Tomasz Wiktorowski Reworked Naomi Osaka’s Strategy?
Osaka’s partnership with Wiktorowski has change into a cornerstone of her 2025 marketing campaign. Talking to the press earlier than her singles marketing campaign started, she praised her new coach’s direct communication fashion and huge information base.
“I feel mentally, bodily, I’m working with a brand new coach. He’s actually nice. He’s simply extremely useful. He cuts to the chase, and he makes me really feel like he’s sort of the encyclopedia of tennis. So, it’s good to have somebody like that in your nook,” Osaka mentioned.
The impression extends past tactical changes. Osaka’s enhanced bodily conditioning has essentially modified how she approaches factors on courtroom. The previous World No. 1 defined how her improved motion has lowered the stress she feels throughout rallies.
“And bodily, I really feel actually good. I really feel like I’m attending to balls in a short time. So, that’s very useful as a result of it makes me really feel not as pressured to attempt to finish the purpose. So, given we sort of adapt our sport plan to who I’m enjoying, it ought to be a very attention-grabbing match,” she added.
This tactical flexibility represents a major evolution from her earlier enjoying fashion. Moderately than forcing aggressive pictures early in rallies, Osaka can now assemble factors extra patiently, trusting her motion to maintain her in favorable positions all through exchanges.
What Can We Be taught From Osaka’s Combined Doubles Efficiency?
Earlier than her singles marketing campaign, Osaka examined her type alongside Gaël Monfils within the blended doubles occasion. The wild card pairing drew appreciable consideration, however their match ended within the first spherical in opposition to Caty McNally and Lorenzo Musetti, dropping 5-3, 4-2.
Whereas the consequence wasn’t what they hoped for, the expertise supplied beneficial courtroom time at Flushing Meadows. Taking part in alongside Monfils allowed Osaka to settle into the match environment and work on her improved motion patterns in aggressive circumstances.
The blended doubles look additionally highlighted the relaxed confidence Osaka brings to this US Open. Her willingness to take part within the occasion with Monfils, regardless of the potential for early elimination, suggests a participant snug along with her preparation and looking forward to match play.
How Will Osaka Deal with Her Opening Match In opposition to Greet Minnen?
Osaka’s path by the draw begins with Belgian participant Greet Minnen within the first spherical. The matchup presents a possibility for the third seed to ascertain early momentum, significantly given their earlier encounter.
Osaka holds a transparent benefit based mostly on their head-to-head document. The 2 gamers have met solely as soon as earlier than on the WTA Tour, through the first spherical of the 2024 Madrid Open, the place Osaka cruised to a 6-4, 6-1 victory.
Nonetheless, Minnen arrives on the US Open after a difficult hard-court swing. She suffered first-round losses at each the Cincinnati Open and Tennis within the Land, falling to Maya Joint and Talia Gibson, respectively. These early exits counsel she should be discovering her rhythm on the American exhausting courts.
The winner of their first-round encounter will advance to face both Hailey Baptiste or Kateřina Siniaková within the second spherical. For Osaka, this opening match represents greater than only a path to the subsequent spherical — it’s an opportunity to showcase the enhancements which have outlined her 2025 season and start one other potential championship run at Flushing Meadows.
