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Former world number one Naomi Osaka wants to “play with the big dogs” again after battling to a three-set win against Yuliia Starodubtseva in the first round of the Miami Open.<\/b><\/p>\n
Osaka came from a set down to beat Ukraine’s Starodubtseva 3-6 6-4 6-3 and claim her first victory since the Australian Open second round in January.<\/p>\n
It comes after the Japanese player described her first-round loss against Camila Osorio at Indian Wells two weeks ago as the “worst match I’ve ever played in my life”.<\/a><\/p>\n “I want to play with the big dogs so bad and I just see everyone playing so well and I want to do the same,” she said after her two-and-a-half-hour epic against Starodubtseva.<\/p>\n “But I have to remember it’s a process.”<\/p>\n The four-time Grand Slam winner has had several breaks from playing to prioritise her mental health as well as a maternity break.<\/p>\n She has not progressed past the third round of a major since her most recent triumph at the 2021 Australian Open.<\/p>\n “I knew that I wasn’t playing too well, but I thought, ‘let me try to stay on the court as long as possible’, because I consider Miami my home,” Osaka added.<\/p>\n “At Indian Wells I was just over-hitting a lot, so I tried to use my legs.<\/p>\n “I was going to run into every corner if I had to, and we were going to have to play for three hours if she was going to beat me.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n