"You have to get out of bed...how do you feel?" Naomi Osaka's coach Jermaine Jenkins came down to the court trying to find out the reason for her lackluster performance. "...Tired," she murmured. But that wasn't a great reason for a No. 1 player who had won the 2018 Indian Wells, the 2108 US Open and this year's 2019 Australian Open titles. What those 3 tournaments have in common are that none have grass surfaces and Osaka had played her opponent Yulia Putintseva last January at the Hobart International and lost.
The clay court season wasn't too bad for Osaka, being that she did go to the third and quarterfinals of tournaments she entered, but the grass was another thing. She just didn't feel very confident on it. She hadn't even signed up for Nottingham or Eastbourne but decided to enter Birmingham, an event she's played four years straight. She admits that "For me, it's always a bit nerve-racking to play on grass. Especially since I haven't been able to practice that many times here, it's a bit tough to adjust."
Osaka was a different person from the opening round than the second at Nature Valley. Maria Sakkari played her at the beginning and she knew not to play sub-par otherwise she'd lose the match. "I want to have a high service percentage because I think on grass it's really important to hold your serve," Osaka explained. There is the issue of her and Ashleigh Barty vying for the no. 1 ranking. Since Barty won the French Open, if Osaka doesn't win Birmingham, there's a chance for the Australian to take over that spot. Osaka realizes her position and says that "...I know that if I play well, thenI'll be no. 1...if I lose in the first round, I don't deserve to be No. 1." She didn't lose in the first, but second round; would that matter?
Maria Sakkari put Osaka through a lot of challenges in the two hours on court. The Japanese put it all out there in the first set. She'd went up 4-1 had aggression, won 6-1 in the opener. Sakkari tried correcting her mistakes made in the first set and did. She went up a break, overpowered Osaka and won 6-4 in the second set. But the Japanese was feisty and determined. She lead 3-2, put on the gas, used her opportunities to win points and soon was at the net shaking hands to win the third set 6-3. Osaka was relieved and said "...I am glad to have come through."
The second round was totally different and all of the strength and determination Osaka showed with Sakkari, was absent when she played Putintseva. She played without the energy and enjoyment which generated another courtside coach trip saying to Osaka "You have to show me some passion." But it was missing along with powerful consistent shots and strategies, a trademark of Osaka. She wasn't in a good place emotionally and during change of ends decided to sit on a towel with the grass underneath instead of on the bench. Putintseva had a 5-love lead in the opener. There was a forehand blast to the corner of the court as Osaka added another few points but still lost the match at 6-3. Matters couldn't have gotten worse for Osaka was annoyed and after the match skipped the requirepost-matchch press conference costing her a four-figure penalty. All Putintseva could say upon defeating a No. 1 was "It's a good feeling when no one is expecting you to win." In other words, that's called 'an upset' and at this point the only one upset and out of it was Naomi Osaka.
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2X4yh7X
Tennis
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