Naomi Osaka’s clay swing fills out with Rouen wildcard

Miami Gardens, Florida, USA. 24th Mar, 2024. Naomi Osaka of Japan plays against Caroline Garcia of France (not pictured) in the third round of the women’s singles at the 2024 Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. Caroline Garcia won against Na

Naomi Osaka will compete at the Open Capfinances Rouen Métropole in her first clay-court event of 2024 from 15 April.

The former World No 1 has been handed a wild card for the main draw of the WTA 250 competition.

Rouen will mark the first time since losing to Amanda Anisimova in the first round of Roland Garros 2022, that Osaka will participate on clay.

Her most recent victory on clay was against Anastasia Potapova in the 2022 Madrid Open first round.

The Japanese star returned from maternity leave in January after giving birth to her daughter Shai in July of last year.

With a 7-6 record thus far, she made it to the quarterfinals in Doha in February in her best performance to date.

Osaka hasn’t yet anywhere near her best level but there have been encouraging signs for the four-time Grand Slam winner.

She marked progress in her return game among the areas she has been improving.

“That’s one of the key things I was trying to get better at I guess from the start of the year, from Australia. I’m trying to get better at returning,” Osaka said in Miami.

She added: “I just want to have progression and I want to go out like myself, even if I win or lose.”

Osaka began her season in Brisbane where she took a wildcard and defeated Germany’s Tamara Korpatsch in the first round to make a winning start to 2024.

Her second round loss to Karolina Pliskova was the first in a three-match streak of defeats that saw Osaka bow out of Brisbane in the second round, the Australian Open first up and after a break from action in the Abu Dhabi first round following defeat to Danielle Collins.

Pliskova also ended her Doha run but Osaka’s quarter-final appearance would see her jump up the rankings.

Osaka put in decent efforts at the Sunshine Double, reaching the third round of both events.

Despite losing to a seeded player at Indian Wells, Osaka was none too pleased with her performance in her loss to Elise Mertens.

“Honestly, I feel like just not playing well in Indian Wells. I truthfully really hated my last performance there. I think I wasn’t playing like myself and I wasn’t dictating the point,” Osaka said in Miami.

“I feel like there are certain things that make a player a player. For me, it’s dictating the points and, like, having a great serve. Those two things obviously weren’t done well in that match.”

Osaka was not among the wildcards for The Credit One Charleston Open and will make the trip to Europe in early April.

READ: The real reason Naomi Osaka is sad to end her run at Indian Wells