It won't be easy for Naomi Osaka to handle pressure in Japan - Pliskova
In a press conference at the Qatar Total Open in Doha, Karolina Pliskova recalled her feelings when she became the world no. 1 in 2017. Naomi Osaka is leading the rankings and she is proving that pressure can be handled well.
Pliskova said: "I felt strange the first match or two, but then I think you can get used to it like all the other feelings, like if you are top 10 first time. So everything takes obviously time. I think she's gonna do well because she won two Grand Slams in a row, so she can be confident enough and for sure she is. There is no reason why she should panic. I know how it's not gonna be easy, because in Japan, for sure, it's huge. So it's going to always be tough in the beginning, the pressure, but I think she can do well. She proved that you know, after US Open she still won a Grand Slam, so sometimes some players, they just hit some up-and-downs and they played well and then they lost few matches in a row. She didn't do that, so I think she's gonna be fine."
"And maybe it's like, you know, on the other hand, if you play somebody who is the world no. 1, you expect good tennis. But if you lose, you just take it a little bit differently than when you play somebody normal or some lower-ranked players. So it's never a shame when you lose to a player like this. Maybe they try a little bit more and they play maybe a little bit more with the freedom against the top players, but it's not only my problem. I think against everybody who is seeded and who is a Grand Slam champion, everybody just tries to and has to play the best tennis. I think we all pretty much get used to it."
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2SxfEap
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