Osaka wants to play big dogs

FORMER world number one Naomi Osaka wants to “play with the big dogs” again after battling to a three-set win against Yuliia Starodubtseva in the first round of the Miami Open tennis tournament.

Osaka came from a set down to beat Ukraine’s Starodubtseva 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 and claim her first victory since the Australian Open second round in January.

It comes after the Japanese player described her first-round loss against Camila Osorio at Indian Wells two weeks ago as the “worst match I’ve ever played in my life”.

“I want to play with the big dogs so bad and I just see everyone playing so well and I want to do the same,” she said after her two-and-a-half-hour epic against Starodubtseva.

“But I have to remember it’s a process.”

The four-time Grand Slam winner has had several breaks from playing to prioritise her mental health as well as a maternity break.

She has not progressed past the third round of a major since her most recent triumph at the 2021 Australian Open.

“I knew that I wasn’t playing too well, but I thought, ‘let me try to stay on the court as long as possible’, because I consider Miami my home,” Osaka added.

“At Indian Wells I was just over-hitting a lot, so I tried to use my legs.

“I was going to run into every corner if I had to, and we were going to have to play for three hours if she was going to beat me.” – BBC Sport/Sports Reporter.