‘Told Them I’m Still One of the Best Players’ – Naomi Osaka Opens Up on Emma Raducanu Match That Triggered Shift
Naomi Osaka is safely through to the third round of the 2026 Canadian Open. As the tournament’s 11 seed, she received a direct second-round entry and dispatched Hungary’s Panna Udvardy 6-2, 6-4 on Wednesday, August 5.
Ahead of her third-round match, Osaka reflected on the aftermath of her loss to Emma Raducanu in Washington, D.C., last year that ultimately sparked her resurgence.
Naomi Osaka Opens Up on Her Success During the North American Swing
Osaka has 1,430 ranking points to defend over the remainder of the North American hard-court swing following her outstanding results last season. The former World No. 1, who had been working to rediscover her form following her return from maternity leave, enjoyed a breakthrough campaign that saw her finish runner-up at the WTA 1000 event in Montréal before carrying that momentum into a semifinal run at the US Open.
Interestingly, the turnaround began after her early loss to Raducanu at the DC Open, where she fell 6-4, 6-2. In the aftermath, Naomi Osaka parted ways with Patrick Mouratoglou and immediately hired Tomasz Wiktorowski, Iga Świątek’s former coach who guided her to four of her six Grand Slam titles.
The Japanese star witnessed an instant shift in fortunes, reaching her biggest final since her return. According to Osaka, the resurgence was driven by a renewed belief in herself.
“I mean, that was definitely a really big confidence booster. But it was funny; I was telling Tomasz and my team, like, actually after I lost in the second round of DC last year, I had a team huddle meeting. I told them that I think that I’m still one of the best players in the world.”
“And then obviously after that we went to the finals with Montréal, and we did really well in the US Open,” she said during her 2026 Canadian Open post-match press conference.
During her US Open run that year, Osaka secured victories against the likes of Hailey Baptiste, Daria Kasatkina, 2023 champion Coco Gauff, and recent Wimbledon finalist Karolína Muchová before falling to Amanda Anisimova.
“A part of me thinks I was probably confident going into that Slam, and maybe that’s why I did well. But it’s something that feels really good in my heart because obviously it’s my favorite tournament.”
The successful swing helped the four-time Grand Slam champion climb from No. 49 in the rankings back into the world’s Top 15. Osaka would hope for a similar run this year following her semifinal defeat to eventual champion Alexandra Eala in Washington, D.C.
She is chasing her first Tour-level title since the 2021 Australian Open at the ongoing WTA 1000 event in Toronto. For a place in the fourth round, she has set up a clash against Belgium’s Elise Mertens.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.
