Naomi Osaka says she is finally starting to embrace grasscourt tennis after years of being “paralysed by fear” at Wimbledon, as the former world number one eyes a deeper run than ever before at the All England Club.
Osaka, who has won all four of her Grand Slam titles on hard courts in Melbourne and New York, has never enjoyed similar success on grass. In four previous Wimbledon appearances spanning her 10-year professional career, she had won just five matches, with third-round finishes in 2017 and 2018 marking her best efforts.
But on 2 July, the Japanese star produced one of her most assured performances on the surface, sweeping aside three-time Wimbledon doubles champion Katerina Siniakova 6-3, 6-2 to equal her best showing at the tournament.
“When I was younger, I had no fear. I think when you’re young, you fear nothing – and that’s one of the really cool things about it,” Osaka said after the win. “But with age, fear kind of crept in and paralysed me in a way. Now I’m getting over that and trying to spread my wings on grass.”
Now ranked 53 in the world as she rebuilds her career following maternity leave in 2023, Osaka believes she is finally adjusting to the demands of grasscourt play. “I think it’s working. I’m moving pretty well,” she added. “I hope in the years to come – and hopefully this year – I can do a lot better in this tournament.”
Wimbledon 2025 may be the perfect stage for Osaka to go further. With several top seeds already eliminated in the opening rounds, the highest-ranked opponents she could face before a potential semi-final against world number one Aryna Sabalenka or Australian Open champion Madison Keys are Amanda Anisimova (seeded 13) and Linda Noskova (30), neither of whom are natural grasscourt players.
Next, Osaka faces Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova for a place in the last 16 — a player she has not lost to since 2017. With back-to-back straight-sets wins behind her, confidence is clearly building.
“Definitely this year I feel a lot more comfortable moving on grass,” Osaka said, speaking on the day her daughter Shai turned two. “In the past, I was really scared to move because I’d strained my knee when I was younger. It took a couple of years to get over that, but now I definitely feel a lot more comfortable.”
Her record at Wimbledon now stands at 7–4, and for the first time, Osaka is looking forward, not back, as she aims to finally leave her mark on the sport’s most traditional stage.