“Definitely I’m always the type that gets nervous, especially in Slams, especially in first rounds, the nervous energy was contradicting with the excitement that I had from being able to see a crowd in such a long time. It was definitely a weird feeling. But I was more excited than nervous in the end. It may have to do with my mindset change [but] I didn’t feel pressure. I felt nerves because I wanted to perform well. In my mind I told myself that if I performed well, then the outcome — even if I win or lose — should be OK.”
After having pulled out of the French Open and skipping Wimbledon — citing mental health issues — she looked like she was having fun, enjoying her tennis. It was part of that aforementioned mindset change, vowing to be less self-critical.
“I should believe more in myself, if you don’t believe in yourself, then other people won’t believe in [you]. It’s more like a realization thing.”
And in the right headspace, Osaka’s dominant talent took over, shaking off early nerves in the first set to dominate the second. She hit 34 winners, lost only six points on her dominant first serve and by the end started to find her ‘A’ game.
“I tell people that I’m a perfectionist. For me, something that’s less than perfection — even though it might be something great — is a disappointment. I don’t really think that’s a healthy way of thinking. So something that I really wanted to change,” Osaka said. “Yeah, it’s not really a tournament thing, it’s more like a life thing. I hope I can keep this mindset throughout my life going forward.”
Osaka was hardly perfect early, spraying balls and letting Bouzkova stand on — and in some cases inside — the baseline and still return her booming serve. It was knotted at 4-all before Osaka held with an ace. A nice rally shot down the line gave Osaka set point, and her first break of the night gave her the first set. It also gave her the momentum.
