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A tearful Osaka admitted difficulty in dealing
with the attention of being the world's top-ranked woman after a
shock defeat by France's Kristina Mladenovic at the Dubai Duty
Free Tennis Championships on Tuesday.
It was the 21-year-old's first match since her Australian Open
triumph in January for the second Grand Slam title of her
career. Kvitova said Osaka would have to get used to having a
target on her back.
"She's number one, Grand Slam winner, everyone just wants to
beat her. That's how players are thinking," Kvitova, beaten by
Osaka in the Melbourne final, told reporters.
"I remember when I was young, I totally had same mindset. That's
how it is ... it's about experiences and coming to the court
knowing that you are the favorite of every match. Every player
on the other side wants to beat you."
World number four Kvitova clinched her first Wimbledon title in
2011 but found it difficult to build on that success.
"It took me a while, ... three years to win another Grand Slam.
I was still in the top 10. I was still fighting, but in the big
stages I couldn't do it," Kvitova, whose career stalled after a
knife attack by a home intruder in 2016, added.
"She (Osaka) is kind of a shy person, probably like me at the
time. It was really difficult for me, that time, for sure. I
totally understand Naomi."
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter
Rutherford)
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