Navratilova believes Osaka's lack of matches could affect her performance during the 2022 season

The 2022 WTA season kicks off in a few days, with the Melbourne summer of tennis culminating at the Australian Open, which was won by Naomi Osaka in 2021.

Although the Japanese superstar is the defending champion, much has happened during the past year that saw the former World No.1 miss out on several WTA events. Retired tennis great Martina Navratilova believes that for Osaka to return to her dominant form, the 24-year old must accumulate more matches under her belt.

"Naomi dominated the majors, particularly the hardcourts, but never the little tournaments. Kind of like Serena," said Navratilova. "I think to leave your mark on the game, you need to dominate all the events, a la Barty, a la Djokovic. They concentrate on majors, but you can’t just use the other tournaments as warmups."

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Navratilova was quick to admit that Osaka could defeat anyone on her best day, but lack of match practice could prevent her from building any momentum or developing a solid rhythm.

"The less you play, the more the pressure builds up and the less feel you have for the game itself," added Navratilova. "You need to put in the reps. If she can do that, she has the game to blow anybody off the court because she’s quick, moves well and is strong on both wings. And she’s got the massive serve as well. She just needs to play more matches.”