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Now dominant Osaka out to ‘get another one’ at Indian Wells
INDIAN WELLS, United States, March 8, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – One year after she
burst onto the scene with an Indian Wells WTA triumph that launched a
meteoric rise to world number one, Naomi Osaka is looking forward, not back.
The Japanese star, who in January added an Australian Open title to the US
Open crown she seized in September, says she’s a long way from the carefree,
unseeded player who arrived at the California desert last year ranked 44th in
the world.
But she’s learning to cope with the pressure of heightened expectations,
and that includes thinking of her first ever title defense as a clean slate.
“It’s not about defending, it’s about getting another one,” she said. “I
don’t really believe in defending, I believe in getting another one.”
“I was just here to have fun, maybe get to the quarters,” she admitted of
her mindset in 2018.
“It sounds bad saying it but it’s true because I never really went far in
a tournament like this.
“I kept playing really great players in every round and I was just like,
I’m here for a good time, you know.
“But then I kept winning, I was like, ‘Whoa, maybe I can actually win this
tournament, and I did.”
It hasn’t been a smooth progression ever since, back-to-back Grand Slam
titles notwithstanding.
She went through a phase of putting “ridiculous pressure” on herself at
every tournament.
Finally, she says, she “just decided to have fun again,” and set herself
some mature goals.
“I just want to do the things that I practice and know that I can do well
and even if things aren’t going my way try to find a way to win matches,” she
said.
“I think I did that in the Australian Open. Hopefully I can refine that
skill.”
Helping her work on that will be new coach Jermaine Jenkins, former
hitting partner of Venus Williams and US Tennis Association national women’s
coach.
Jenkins joined Osaka’s team last week after Osaka shocking split with
coach Sascha Bajin 17 days after her Australian Open triumph.
“He seemed like a really good choice (as coach) because I do like to hit
with a guy,” she said. “He seemed like he was a good hitter, too.”
– Mladenovic rematch –
Between coaches Osaka played her first match as world number one and lost
in Dubai to 67th-ranked Kristina Mladenovic.
Osaka will get a chance to avenge that defeat when she faces Mladenovic in
her second-round Indian Wells opener on Saturday.
Mladenovic booked the rematch with a 7-5, 6-2 first-round victory over
Zheng Saisai on Thursday.
Osaka said that so far working with Jenkins hadn’t altered her routine too
much.
“For me, it’s not a dramatic change,” Osaka said. “Maybe if it was a
fitness trainer it would be more dramatic. I’m still hitting and doing the
same things.
“The drills are different but I’m still playing the same way.”
And she indicated they are quickly building a rapport.
“I talk to Jermaine a lot, he’s a really easy going guy,” she said. “He
asks me questions and I like to think a lot so it definitely helps me out.
BSS/AFP/BZC/1735HRS