Naomi Osaka's resurgence on clay court impresses former British tennis star

Former British number one tennis Tim Henman has heaped praise on Japan’s tennis star Naomi Osaka for putting on an incredible show against Poland’s Iga Swiatek. The 26-year-old, who recently returned to the court after a gap of more than one year, put on an incredible performance against the two-time defending champion in the round of 128, where she came second-best with a score of 7-6, 1-6, 7-5 on Wednesday.

During the match, Osaka had a great opportunity to beat arguably the best player in the women’s singles category. She was 3-0 up in the third set and had a match point when the score was 5-3. Former world number four Henman was recently quoted in a report where he heaped praise on the performance of the four-time Grand Slam winner.

“In the longer term [Osaka] will look back on that match and think there are so many positives,” said Henman. “Her level of play on a clay court, which is not her best surface, was incredible. But right now, you’ve had match point for the biggest match of her life on a clay court, where she’s never beaten anyone in the top 10. She will be massively disappointed, but when she reflects, she will be proud of her performance and there will be lots to build on.”