Happier Osaka back in form

NAOMI Osaka cried tears of joy after reaching the Miami Open final for the first time before her mind turned towards something else.

The Japanese star has ridden an emotional roller-coaster recently and after a heckler upset her in Indian Wells, on Thursday night in south Florida Osaka couldn’t keep the smile off her face.

A 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Olympic champion Belinda Bencic took the fourtime Grand Slam champion into today’s final where she will meet the in-form, new world number one Iga Swiatek – although picking up dinner rather than lifting her first trophy since the 2021 Australian Open was occupying her thoughts more than anything. “Unprofessional answer and professional answer, what I’m honestly thinking now is like how to get Korean food Uber Eats to my place, because there is nothing inside of the delivery range,” smiled Osaka, who was visibly emotional at the end of her win. “But in terms of the match, I’m glad I was able to pull through.”

Osaka has been open about her mental health struggles which came to the fore last year at the French Open when she left the tournament after one match and took some time away from tennis. She sought help from a therapist in the aftermath of Indian Wells and the 24-year-old has cut a relaxed and focused figure in Miami.

“If I hadn’t said anything at the French Open, I don’t think anyone would have known about the things I was going through,” said the world number 77. “It’s not new to me,” she said of her mental issues. “People are saying to me ‘you’re back.’ But to be honest, I don’t think I ever left. I have always been this player. “I sometimes feel overwhelmed by my thoughts, in this particular case, it’s because I haven’t been in the finals in a while, or I guess in a big tournament like this in a while.”

Osaka has a soft spot for south Florida. Her family moved there in 2006 so she could concentrate on her tennis. Swiatek may come into the title match as a slight favourite, but anyone taking on the Japanese will have their hands full. She has only dropped one set – the opener against Bencic – and hit 18 aces against the Swiss.

Swiatek has won WTA 1000 events in Doha and Indian Wells this year, a run which has seen the 20-year-old reach the summit of the women’s game. She and Osaka have met once with the Polish star, who defeated Jessica Pegula 6-2, 7-5 in the other semi-final, losing in Toronto in 2019.