Osaka draws confidence from New York nostalgia

For Naomi Osaka, returning to the US Open is all about rekindling some childhood nostalgia rather than going back to the scene of her success, the Japanese player said on Saturday.

Since returning to action after a 15-month maternity break in January, Osaka has struggled to recapture the form that earned her the US Open title in 2018 and 2020. In her most recent outing, she went out in the second round of qualifying at the Cincinnati Open.

Born in Japan, but raised in New York, Osaka will hope for a better return to the US Open than she had in Australia, where she had also won twice, falling at the first hurdle to Caroline Garcia.

"I feel like, throughout the year I have had really hard matches, and it kind of dipped my confidence a little," Osaka told reporters on Saturday.

"I do think coming to this specific tournament helps me out, but also, whenever I step foot here, I don't really think about the two tournaments I won.

"I just think about how I felt when I was a kid, because I did grow up coming here, and I have such vivid memories of watching my favorite players.

"It's more of a childhood nostalgia that I really enjoy."

Osaka was also in New York as a spectator last year, and drew inspiration from Coco Gauff's win, and wants to put in her best performance at the US Open after failing to advance past the second round at both Wimbledon and the French Open this year.

"When I was watching Coco's match last time I was here, I felt very inspired to play again. At that time, I didn't know at what level I could play," Osaka said.

"Obviously, I want to be in the top 10, and I want to do all these things, but I still, in the back of my mind, remember not being able to run, if that makes sense, or not being able to do a sit-up.

"But, I came here with the specific goal of doing the absolute best that I can. I was watching in the stands last year, and I promised myself, this is going to be the tournament where I do the best."

The US Open begins on Monday, with Osaka taking on Latvian 10th seed Jelena Ostapenko on Tuesday.

American Gauff begins her US Open title defense in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday, headlining a wide open women's field that includes world No 1 Iga Swiatek and last year's runner-up Aryna Sabalenka.

Gauff plays France's Varvara Gracheva in the opening round, and hopes to put a series of frustrating performances behind her — including early exits from Toronto and Cincinnati — to recapture the magic of her run to a maiden major title.

"I feel like it was a blessing in disguise I lost so early (in Cincinnati), because I was able to actually train, which I hadn't been able to do," said Gauff, who competed in the Paris Games.

"I get my best results when I come off a training block. I was able to train for a good week and a half, and, obviously, still have a couple more days to do that."

Gauff could meet Sabalenka in the semifinals, with the Belarusian hungry for the trophy after coming close, but never quite getting the title within her grasp.

She has reached at least the semifinal stage of the tournament over the last three years, and has learned lessons from tough defeats in New York.

"Those tough losses definitely motivated me a lot to work hard and to improve things which didn't work in previous years," said Sabalenka.

After retaining her title in Australia, Sabalenka endured a rough midyear stretch, as she suffered a back injury and skipped Wimbledon with a shoulder injury.

She arrived in New York confident and fit, however, after skipping the Olympics to focus on her health and winning the Cincinnati tune-up tournament.

"I was really happy with the level I played. It's not like it's a weight off my shoulders. It just a little, like, happy moment, before going to the US Open," said Sabalenka, who closes out Monday night's program at Louis Armstrong Stadium against Australian qualifier Priscilla Hon.

Poland's Swiatek hopes to add another title to a memorable year, after she picked up her fifth major at the French Open and won in Qatar, Indian Wells, Madrid and Rome.

She picked up bronze at the Paris Games and admitted that it has taken some adjustment going from the clay courts of Roland Garros to the hard courts of North America, as she lost to Sabalenka in the semifinal at Cincinnati.

"It's been a really intense season, and, after the Olympics, it hasn't been kind of, you know, easy. So I feel the best when I'm just focused on practicing and grinding on the court," the 2022 US Open winner told reporters.

"I'm just going to try to keep that mind-set and that attitude."

She opens her campaign against lucky loser, Russian Kamilla Rakhimova, on Tuesday in Ashe.

Contenders lurk around every corner in New York, as a grueling year has left the title available for those hoping to capture a maiden major.

Italian Jasmine Paolini made a name for herself as a runner-up at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, while China's Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen is ready to make an impact after reaching her first major final in Australia.

"I don't want to let myself slip again. I really want to improve one more step in my mental game," said Zheng. "If I'm able to do that, I think I will really break through a wall that I have built for myself."

REUTERS