Naomi Osaka vs. Iga Swiatek the match of the French Open? | The French Connection | NBC Sports

we've got Osaka versus egoa the other day is that the match of the tournament so far what are your thoughts on that match yeah it has to be the match of the tournament for so many reasons right because you you have this thing where EA's developing this like kind of Rafa like Mystique on Clay so anytime that gets interrupted it's you know kind of it sets the whole the whole venue makes it makes it still um obviously Osaka's comeback the fact that they're you know they have the highest slam totals of anyone active in the tournament um you know with the four and four kosaka put herself back into this kind of highlevel conversation um I've loved the way that she's building throughout the year and the fact that she's having a performance like this even being on the wrong side of it uh at a slam again uh that that'll that'll raise a lot of people's antennas antennas around the tennis world so you have kind of this mixture of uh maybe our biggest mainstream star uh with it with Naomi coming up against eish Fon who has this Mystique so uh all the all the cards were there it was just a matter of can Osaka play well enough on this surface specifically and at this moment in her career while she's still kind of uh in build back mode to challenge EA and boy did she ever challenge EA EA barely got out of there I thought it was the match of the tournament uh quality of tennis and I think uh storylines outside of saying goodbye to a player that we all love and respect uh with Rafa it's obvious it was obviously going to be the Rafa show um but just as quality of tennis and champions and story lines I like the osaga Osaka EGA match for sure oh I like that osaga it wasn't a saga that was accidental I like I mean look at you huh you're in TV now you're just like comeing up with quips left and right so you know I if you see here I love this quote from Naomi this is like first of all this is like putting a flag in the sand baby this is like okay great match it's your best surface I cannot wait to play you on Hardcore I mean sh that's a dagger and I actually said after the match I think I tweeted it out I said Naomi Osaka if she plays like that to me is the favorite to win the US Open and a lot of people like well come on she hasn't won that many matches just because she plays well because I felt like she's she looked unbelievably fit she was moving so well on the clay and you think about how well she plays on Hardcore if she plays even remotely that close she there's who beats her on hardcourt I mean and we know how well she plays on Hardcore arguably one of the best hardcore players over the last 10 years so I'm putting her as equal favorite at the US Open already I'm putting it in the sand what are your thoughts on that I think you're excited I think there's I think there's a maybe maybe a recency bias a little bit I think I said when I saw her in Miami um you know she was on the verge where she'd played two good matches and then it was just kind of that that mental flow right we haven't seen her go this is two matches at the French Open right the the the mental wear and tear over the course of two weeks is something that I think we we we have to factor in we haven't seen that from her in four or five years uh I do think that matters uh she had nothing zero to lose in this matchup um so I think that matters uh as well but I I I kind of agree with you as far as things rounding into form um you know co- favorite top five favorite top 10 favorite I don't know I think she's gonna win a slam again um I I I I I feel comfortable saying that I don't know that I would choose her you know over a sabalenka or uh you know aatech or someone like that yet just based on um kind of day in day out average Tuesday consistency that's still a question mark um but I agree with you from from a movement the way that the ball is leaving her racket it looks like Osaka again uh for the first time since the comeback the serve is unparalleled so I'm not mad at your sentiment I just want to see a little bit longer and I don't want to disrespect uh the women that are playing at an unbelievable level right now like it's the the level is phenomenal I want to ask the two of you though have you seen I'll start with you Sam but like have you seen her this excited on the court because she was pumped up like I've never seen her scream yes come on more than that she's usually pretty laidback and I mean Mr Andy Murray I mean this is what he put out which was like I said approved WTA get your you know what together because you got to do a better job at capitalizing on what we saw yesterday but have you either of you seen her that excite like she was like I've not seen her that pumped up in a long time so that shows me that she's really back in this to like win a slam no I to I totally agree and I think that was the this has been the first kind of big match Big situation she's been in in a while where she's playing the number one girl in the world she's playing on the center court at a grand slam so I feel feel like there's probably some extra emotions going through that match it was great to see her fired up and excited and I'm a little bit with Andy I'm I'm not putting her as a as a US Open favorite but if she continues this role and has a few more performances like that I'm totally fine putting her and hey she's one of the three favorites going into New York yeah and the thing is like even when before she kind of uh you know left the tour and dealt with some of the mental health issues and all that it felt kind of tough watching her go through the you felt like she was kind of going through the motions uh a little bit um you know and so it was it was tougher to watch it feels like uh she's starting over and with that come she's almost turning back the clock to went what you feel when you're 17 18 coming on a tour she actually has something to prove again for the first time in a long time by by choice right she's a first ballot Hall of Fame anywhere you CHP it up like what's set in stone is set in stone you can't take away uh accomplishment but you could sense that the the feeling when you feel like you're gaining on something versus the feeling you have when you feel like you're protecting something I promise you one is a lot more fun and watching Osaka now it feels like you're watching her gaining on something uh kind of hunting as opposed to being hunted