Naomi Osaka defeated Daria Kasatkina, 6-1, 6-3, to reach the fourth round of Wimbledon for the first time in her career.
The four-time Grand Slam champion delivered an excellent performance on Court 1, having previously played on Court 3 and Court 2 at this year’s Wimbledon Championships.
With the world number one, Aryna Sabalenka, potentially awaiting her in round four, you would expect Osaka to be promoted to Centre Court when she returns.
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However, the Japanese star has now explained why she would rather stay on Court 1…
Naomi Osaka says Wimbledon’s Centre Court is the ‘scariest Centre Court’
During her latest post-match press conference, Osaka was asked if she would like to play her last-16 match on Centre Court.
“I don’t mind Court 1,” she said.
“Me and Court 1 finally have a good relationship, so… I don’t mind going on Court 1 again.
“I think the Centre Court here, for some reason, might be the scariest Centre Court to me.
“I don’t know why.
“Going down those stairs… Granted, I haven’t played on the Centre Court frequently.
“Going down those stairs, it’s the opening, like this huge dome. I feel more aware of it than any other Centre Court that I’ve ever played on.
“So yeah, me and Court 1, we can just keep going.”
When looking at Osaka’s record on Centre Court, you can understand why she’d rather stay on Court 1.
Naomi Osaka’s record on different courts at Wimbledon
- Centre Court (0-3)
- Court 1 (1-1)
- Court 2 (4-1)
- Court 3 (1-0)
- Court 9 (1-0)
- Court 17 (1-0)
- Court 18 (2-0)
The 28-year-old is 0-3 on Wimbledon’s Centre Court, losing to Angelique Kerber in 2018, Yulia Putintseva in 2019, and Emma Navarro in 2024.
She has fared much better on the smaller courts, although if she is to win Wimbledon, Osaka will need to play on Centre Court at some point.
And if it is to be Sabalenka she plays in the fourth round, the chances are she’ll be taking centre stage at SW19.
Later in the press conference, Osaka was asked about that potential match-up and how a change of surfaces affects things.
“I mean, I’m not sure,” she said.
“Like, obviously, I’ve been doing really well on grass this year. My confidence is pretty high.
“For me, I know what my grass-court tennis looks like. It gives me a pretty stable mindset going into the match, no matter who I play.
“I also don’t really have as many doubts as I did on clay courts. Maybe it would be a little bit better for me on grass. But I’m not so sure.”
Osaka has already lost to Sabalenka three times this year, in the fourth round of Indian Wells, the Madrid Open, and the French Open.
She insisted she doesn’t mind playing Sabalenka again, as she looks to book her place in the quarter-finals.
“I think from my end, I don’t mind playing someone recently,” said Osaka.
“Even if I look at my results, I have only lost to like her and Iga [Swiatek] for the past couple of months.
Naomi Osaka’s 2026 defeats
- January – Maria Sakkari
- March – Aryna Sabalenka, Talia Gibson
- April – Aryna Sabalenka
- May – Iga Swiatek
- June – Aryna Sabalenka, Karolina Muchova
“Also, she’s the number-one player in the world. If there is someone I had to lose to, I would pick that ranking position.
“If anything, I would say I learned from all of those matches, so hopefully I can apply it if I do play her.
“Again, [Jelena] Ostapenko is a really tough opponent, too, so we have to kind of just see what happens.”
Naomi Osaka continues to break new ground in 2026
Osaka has qualified for the fourth round of Wimbledon this year, an achievement that deserves to be celebrated.
In fact, this is two Grand Slams in a row where Osaka has recorded her career-best result at the event.
Historically a hard-court specialist, the 28-year-old has suddenly found another gear on clay and grass courts.
Naomi Osaka’s Grand Slam record
| Grand Slam | Best performance | Latest performance | Win/Loss record | Win % |
| Australian Open | W – 2019, 2021 | 3R – 2026 | 28-7 | 80% |
| French Open | 4R – 2026 | 4R – 2026 | 11-8 | 58% |
| Wimbledon | 4R – 2026 | 4R – 2026 | 10-5 | 67% |
| US Open | W – 2018, 2020 | SF – 2025 | 28-7 | 80% |
Perhaps her coach, Tomasz Wiktorowski, needs a pat on the back, helping Osaka reach new heights since he joined the team last year.
She won’t be satisfied with another fourth-round appearance, though, and will be keen to advance to the quarters when she returns on Sunday, July 5.
