"It was a little bit of close situation": Naomi Osaka claims being informed about opponent change just 25 minutes before Rome Open second-round clash

Former world number one Naomi Osaka has revealed that she was informed about her opponent's change less than 30 minutes before the Rome Open. The WTA 1000 event is underway in the capital of Italy, where some of the top players in the world are currently participating to showcase their talent and secure the ultimate prize.

Osaka is also featuring in the competition, and she booked her place in the third round of the competition after beating Viktorija Golubic of Switzerland with a score of 2-6, 7-5, 6-1. Interestingly, the former world number one was set to face Spain’s Paula Badosa in the round of 64, but the 27-year-old was forced to withdraw as she failed to recover from a back injury. Osaka spoke to Sky Sports after the match and stated that she was made aware of the change of her opponent just 25 minutes before the match. She stated that she only spoke to her coach for three minutes before taking the court to face Golubic.

“I found it like 25 minutes before [the start of the match],” she said. “It was a bit of a scramble because I talked to Patrick and we had a whole conversation about playing Badosa but then we needed to like re-talk like three minutes max. So it was a little bit of close situation and obviously the first set, I had to figure out my opponent.”

Osaka came into the tournament having won her first title in four years, the WTA 125 event in Saint-Malo. When asked about the importance of winning that competition, the four-time Grand Slam winner responded that playing more matches is very important to her.

“I think for me, I have always been a person that does well the more matches I play,” she said. “I think it doesn’t matter the level, its just more my believe in myself. I think it was really important for me to go and play that tournament and yea happy that I won it.”