When Naomi Osaka Starts Back From The Bottom

Naomi Osaka did something she had never done in ten years, which is compete in a WTA 125 level women's tennis tournament. The championship title from the WTA Saint-Malo in France is her first title from a clay court tournament, serving as her preparation to compete in the French Open Grand Slam.

WTA 125 is a tournament with a level below the WTA Tour, which consists of WTA 250, 500, and 1000. The higher the number, the higher the level of the tournament, as indicated by the greater ranking points and prizes at stake.

After reaching the semifinals in Hua Hin, Thailand, in November 2015, Osaka competed in the WTA Tour and Grand Slam events. At the age of 23, Osaka has won four Grand Slam titles, namely the US Open in 2018 and 2020, and the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021. This Japanese tennis player also topped the women's singles world ranking for 25 weeks in 2019.

After climbing the ranks to the top, and even being referred to as the successor to Serena Williams, Osaka must now retrace her steps in the professional arena from the bottom. She is participating in the WTA 125 tournament in Saint-Malo from April 28 to May 4.

A week before the start of the WTA Saint-Malo, Osaka was originally scheduled to play in the WTA 1000 Madrid, which began on April 21. After being eliminated in the first round, she moved to Saint-Malo as a wildcard.

Osaka became the only Grand Slam champion and former world number one in the tournament. The opponents she faced were players ranked from the hundreds to the 500s in the world. Osaka also became the champion with a journey that was quite challenging. Out of five rounds, she played three sets in two matches. The title from Saint-Malo is her first from a clay court tournament as a mother of one child.

The top layer of the court is made of crushed bricks, which is Osaka's weakness. The hard, flat groundstrokes that characterize her game are better suited to hard courts.

Playing on clay cannot rely on such strokes because the ball bounces slowly and high. Osaka struggled to adapt to these conditions, which is why she never won a title on such slow courts until she finally received a trophy from the WTA Saint-Malo.

Osaka recounted that she brought a lot of ego when competing at the WTA 125 level. However, she had to set aside that ego as she was inspired by the journey of the world number one tennis player, Andre Agassi.

Agassi's career journey in professional tennis faced a dark period in 1997, after he became the world's number one player and held three Grand Slam titles. Agassi missed many tournaments due to a wrist injury, a doping case, and a loss of passion for playing tennis.

However, she returned to competition in 1998, starting her career anew from the bottom, specifically from the ATP Challenger tournaments, which are on par with WTA 125. "I read his book (Agassi). When he returned to compete, there was a moment when he played in a Challenger tournament and had to change the scoreboard himself. That story stuck in my mind when I competed in WTA 125," said Osaka on the official WTA website.

Not only Osaka and Agassi have experienced ups and downs in their careers. The 2020 Australian Open champion, Sofia Kenin, is participating in a WTA 125 tournament in Spain in 2024. The 2019 US Open champion, Bianca Andreescu, is also competing at the same level while Osaka is playing in Saint-Malo.

The 2014 US Open men's singles champion, Marin Cilic, has played more in ATP Challenger events in 2025 compared to the ATP Tour. The player, who is currently ranked 109th in the world, has participated in five ATP Challenger tournaments out of eight tournaments.

"I must accept that I am no longer a top 50 or 100 tennis player in the world. Therefore, I cannot arbitrarily choose tournaments based on my desires. I am in a phase where I must humble myself, continue to work hard, return to the Challengers, and enjoy it," said Cilic, who held his highest position, ranking third in the world, in January 2018.

After appearing in Saint-Malo, Osaka returned to high-level competition, the WTA 1000 Rome, May 6-18. She advanced to the third round after defeating lucky loser Viktorija Golubic with a score of 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 on Thursday (May 8, 2025). In the second round match, Golubic replaced ninth seed Paula Badosa, who withdrew from the match due to injury.

Osaka lost the first set because she made a lot of unforced errors, especially when serving. She had difficulty tossing the ball in the right direction, so she had to repeat it several times. This weakness caused her serve to be broken twice by Golubic. To vent her frustration, Osaka slammed her racket on the court when she was 2-5 down.

During the preparation period for the clay court competition season, which begins in April, Osaka and her coach Patrick Mouratoglou have been specifically practicing her serve. She has always struggled to toss the ball correctly, prompting the former coach of Serena to provide tips.

After this, Osaka must prepare to face the eighth seed, Beatriz Hadad Maia, or Marie Bouzkova in the third round. Osaka is in the same half as the defending champion, Iga Swiatek, the third seed, Jessica Pegula, and Madison Keys. Meanwhile, the WTA Madrid champion and current world number one, Aryna Sabalenka, will compete against young players such as Mirra Andreeva and Cori Gauff. (AFP)