“She slapped me into the ground”: Naomi Osaka explains why Swiatek match felt closer than it looked

The four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka arrives at Roland Garros still searching for her first deep run in Paris, but with signs of progress on clay after one of her strongest European swings in recent years. The former world No. 1 reflected before the tournament on confidence, mentality, and the lessons she continues to learn on a surface that has historically produced her weakest major results.

Now ranked world No. 16, Osaka reached the fourth round in both Madrid and Rome this season, compiling a 4-2 record in clay courts so far in 2026. Her only defeats came against world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and four-time Roland Garros champion Iga Swiatek. Against Sabalenka, Osaka managed to take the opening set before eventually losing in three sets.

Despite her pedigree, Roland Garros remains Osaka’s weakest Grand Slam statistically. She holds an 8-7 career record at the tournament, with her best result still being a third-round appearance — achieved most recently in 2019. Since then, the Japanese star has managed only two match wins across her last four appearances in Paris.

The 28-year-old begins her campaign this year against world No. 46 Laura Siegemund after also participating in the ‘Gael & Friends’ exhibition event celebrating the career of Gael Monfils. Ahead of her return to Roland Garros, Osaka spoke openly about the mindset adjustments that continue shaping both her tennis and her approach to competition.

Osaka admitted that earlier in her career she struggled with how she processed defeats, often reacting far more strongly to losses than victories. “Honestly, I had a pretty bad attitude when I was younger, and my dad had a stern talk to me about it, and ever since then, I was, like, ‘Oh, oh, no!,” she said during her press conference. “He told me, ‘You're putting energy into the wrong things.’ I wouldn't celebrate if I won, but I would be extremely down if I lost.”

Osaka explained that she still occasionally falls into the same mentality, which is partly why she now tries to be more expressive and vocal on court. The 2-time US Open champion believes celebrating positive moments more openly helps balance the emotional swings that naturally come with competing at the highest level.

Her clay season has also been difficult to evaluate. Osaka felt encouraged by her level in Madrid despite the loss to Sabalenka, while Rome brought another reminder of the challenge posed by Swiatek on the surface.

“I feel like the clay season this year, it's been a little bit hard to judge for me,” she said. “I felt like I was playing well in Madrid, but then obviously I played Sabalenka and I lost there. I felt like I had my chances, which was a good takeaway.”

“Then we went into Rome… I thought I played my first two matches really well, and then Iga said, ‘Hell, no!’ She slapped me into the ground.”

Although Osaka continues to be identified primarily as a hard-court player, this year’s results on clay suggest gradual improvement. Her fourth-round appearances in Madrid and Rome marked her best combined performances at those tournaments since 2019, when she reached the quarter-finals at both events.

The Japanese star admitted the loss to Swiatek damaged her confidence, but also stressed the importance of maintaining perspective against a player widely considered the best clay-court competitor of her generation.

“Honestly, that blew my confidence a lot, but I just had to step away, knowing that she's the best clay court player, and I still have a lot to learn," the Japanese added. "The score was wild, but it was a little bit closer, there was a lot of deuce games or whatever.”

Osaka also revealed that coach Tomasz Wiktorowski – former Swiatek’s coach - recently pointed out how surprising it is that she has only reached the third round at Roland Garros.

“I think a lot of people know me for being a really good hard-court player, and I hope that I can eventually start doing better on the other surfaces, too,” she said. “I talked with my coach Tomasz, and he said it's crazy I have only been to the third round here. Hopefully we can go further this year.”

Away from tennis, Osaka also discussed the role fashion continues to play in her identity on tour. Inspired by the iconic outfit reveals of Serena Williams and Venus Williams, Osaka said clothing allows her to express herself in ways she sometimes cannot verbally. “I feel like fashion, for me, I don't talk a lot, so that way I can talk through my clothes. That means I can be as loud with colours or patterns or fabric as I want.”