This archive report was first published on 26 October 2019.
Naomi Osaka, a two-time grand slam winner, is set to participate in the WTA Finals for the second consecutive year, hoping to learn from her experiences and improve her performance.
Osaka made her breakthrough in 2018 with her win over Serena Williams in the final of the U.S. Open, securing a place at her first tour championships final.
However, she suffered three defeats in the 2018 WTA Finals, exiting the competition at the end of the group phase. Osaka bounced back in style, winning the Australian Open in January 2019 and finishing the season ranked third in the world.
“I think it’s a really good way to end the year and I hope that I play well compared to last year,” Osaka said.
She added, “Last year the end of the year was just so hectic for me, and I didn’t really remember anything. Honestly, by the time I got here, I was just so tired.”
Osaka believes that her experience in the 2018 WTA Finals has helped her understand the format better, saying, “I definitely think last year helped me in the way that I kind of know the format more. Before last year, I haven’t played round-robin since I was, like, eight or 10.”
Osaka will begin her challenge at the $14 million event against Petra Kvitova, Ashleigh Barty, and Belinda Bencic in the Red Group.
Players face off against one another in the round-robin format, with the top two in each group progressing to Saturday’s semi-finals.
Osaka comes into the event off the back of a successful run during the WTA’s Asian swing, maintaining her on-court discipline as key to her success.
“I tried to be as focussed as I could every point, which for me is something very difficult to do because my mind tends to wander a lot. I think you can see it sometimes,” she said.
Osaka will face Kvitova in her first match, a player she defeated in the final of the Australian Open.
