Emma Raducanu has spoken about her mindset before and during her match against Naomi Osaka at the Miami Open.
It was their first meeting, with both players having Grand Slam titles to their names, and it was Raducanu who came out on top. She stayed composed throughout, putting together a strong performance from start to finish.
She controlled the match from early on, finishing with a 6-4, 6-2 win over the four-time major champion.
Even with Osaka’s impressive track record, Raducanu didn’t seem fazed by the occasion once play got underway. Although she’s still working her way back up the rankings, she showed little sign of nerves.
Raducanu opens up about how she felt before facing Osaka
The win took Raducanu into the third round in Miami. Afterward, she spoke about her approach to playing against someone of Osaka’s stature.
“I had a feeling that I was going to play well today,” Raducanu said after the match. “I knew that I had been doing some good work in practice and I just needed a match like today to show even myself that it’s paying off.”
She also spoke about what it meant to face someone of Osaka’s reputation: “Obviously Naomi is an amazing player – very decorated – so I have massive respect for her. But at the end of the day when you’re stepping on the court you’re trying to do your best just to beat whoever’s across from you.”
Emma Raducanu explains how she felt before playing Naomi Osaka
Speaking to reporters at the Washington Open, Raducanu explained her approach: “I think the game plan was to hold my serve as much as possible, to manage my service games and, yeah, I guess just try and make the play as many returns as possible because it’s such a big weapon of hers and I think I was doing a good job of making some first-serve returns and then second doing a better job on the second.
“And yeah, trying to just stay with her, and I knew that, being out there, I kind of backed my consistency, so I’m trying to extend the points as well.”
Asked about Osaka specifically and whether she drew any inspiration from her opponent, Raducanu replied: “It’s incredible. You’re going into the match, you know, she’s won four Grand Slams and that is incredibly difficult to do. I mean, I won one and I just like can’t imagine winning four you know? It’s incredible.
“So she’s a great champion and I know she’s finding her form again. And yeah it’s good to see her kind of playing at this high level.
“But I know that like right now you know I’m feeling pretty good right now. Happy with how i’m doing how i’m improving in keeping consistent keeping good work.”
This came after Raducanu named her biggest improvement from the last few months.
Emma Raducanu set to regain British number one spot
By defending her quarter-final points from the same event last year, Raducanu has now secured a return to the top of the British rankings.
The 2021 US Open champion had been climbing steadily in recent months and regained the position during Queen’s.
But failing to match her 2024 run at Wimbledon, where she didn’t reach the fourth round, led to another drop. This happened as Sonay Kartal made a deep run and Katie Boulter exited in the second round.
Still, Raducanu has remained the most consistent British player on the WTA tour this season.
If she continues this form against Maria Sakkari, it could give her a real boost heading into the US Open.
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