Doha [Qatar], February 13 : Ace Tennis player Naomi Osaka defeated the 15th seed from France Caroline Garcia in two straight sets of the Round of 64 in the Qatar Open on Monday.
The win against Garcia is the second one for the Japanese four-time Grand Slam winner in the last five matches she has played after making a comeback to the sport after taking a 15-month maternity leave.
The former World No. 1 took a sweet revenge against her opponent as she defeated the French player 7-5, 6-4 at Doha. Osaka lost to Garcia in the first round of the Australian Open last month.
The Japanese player asserted that she is a much better player now.
"I feel like I'm a much better player now. In Australia, my returns weren't as good and I don't feel like I was as focused as I am now," Osaka said in an interview after the match.
Osaka further spoke about her comeback. She said that this has been a very tough journey so far.
"It's been a really tough journey. I felt like I was chasing myself in the past and it honestly wasn't really healthy to do. After giving birth, I feel I trained really quickly, I'm a very big perfectionist and it's tough when you don't see results as quickly," the Japanese player added.
Osaka also spoke about her daughter.
"It was in that journey I felt like I learned how to love myself as I am now. I got to wake up every day and see my daughter and know that I was strong enough for her to come into this world," the former world No. 1 concluded
Osaka will be playing Croatia's Petra Martic. This would be their second meeting in the game. The first meeting between the two came in the last decade.
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