Osaka takes notes from Djokovic to improve her return

Naomi Osaka revealed that she drew inspiration from Novak Djokovic’s tactical approach and made adjustments to her return game at the Qatar Open, resulting in her securing consecutive victories for the first time in nearly two years. The 26-year-old Japanese player, who recently returned to the circuit after a 15-month hiatus and the birth of her first child, faced challenges in finding her rhythm during her initial tournaments in Brisbane, the Australian Open, and Abu Dhabi.

However, Osaka’s fortunes changed as she defeated 15th seed Caroline Garcia in the Doha first round, avenging her loss at Melbourne Park. Building on this success, she demonstrated glimpses of her peak form in a 6-3, 7-6(9) triumph over Petra Martic on Tuesday, advancing to the last 16.

Osaka acknowledged making adjustments to her return game, stating, “I did change my return – I don’t want to say ‘style’ but I guess form. I don’t know how to describe it.” She elaborated on the modification, explaining that instead of the previous one-step approach, she now adopts a technique of jumping in with both feet, inspired by Djokovic’s renowned return strategy.

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The four-time Grand Slam champion credited a conversation with coach Wim Fissette for sparking these game adjustments. Osaka expressed her frustration at recognizing the potential of her serve, one of the best in the world, and emphasized her commitment to enhancing aspects of her game, particularly her return. Reflecting on the changes, she noted, “It was frustrating knowing that my serve is one of the best serves, dare I say, in the world. But I just really wanted to work on the things I know should be a lot better, and the return was one of them. We were talking about it a lot in the off-season, and leaving Melbourne, definitely needed to improve it.”