‘A bit like Serena Williams’ – Martina Navratilova compares WTA star to legend
Martina Navratilova has backed Naomi Osaka to shine at the Australia Open, comparing her to Serena Williams.
Osaka is the defending champion in Melbourne, and she got her title defence off to a very strong start by overpowering Camila Osario 6-3, 6-3 in the first round.
The Japanese star’s demeanour was very different to much of last year, when she spent a lot of time away from the game due to mental health issues.
However, she showed precious few signs of a player who had not played a lot of tennis in recent months, and that led Navratilova to make a big comparison.
“I think Osaka is a little bit like Serena, she’s got that big game and she doesn’t need that many matches as long as she stays healthy to play well and get that confidence,” she told the Tennis Channel of Osaka.
“I think Osaka is a little bit like Serena, she’s got that big game and she doesn’t need that many matches as long as she stays healthy.” 😎@Martina | @naomiosaka | #TCLive pic.twitter.com/3FDGgtcBkB
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) January 16, 2022
“The faster courts will help her and at the same time her slice (shots) will stay pretty low on this fast court.”
“you have to have the matches to get the confidence, more so for the body rather than the mind.”
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