Osaka begins clay swing with a no pressure attitude

Naomi Osaka says she is entering the 2019 clay court swing with “no pressure". Even though she's the current world No. 1, she told press in Stuttgart that she still feels like “the hunter” and not “the hunted."

It may be because of her lack of clay-court success so far. Her best result at the French Open has been the round of 32.

"For me, my biggest goal is to do well in this clay and grass swing compared to last year," she said. "I want to win French and Wimbledon—I'm kind of making those my biggest goals."

Osaka has won all three of her titles on hard courts, and, in two career appearances in Stuttgart, she's never won a main-draw match. This week will actually be her first time not starting in the qualifying draw.

The 21-year-old has kept herself busy in Stuttgart. A big fan of cooking, she learned how to make Spätzle, an authentic southern German pasta dish.

She even swept the clay court after a practice session. It's something that is standard protocol at clay-court clubs, but you still don't really expect world No. 1s to pick up a sweeper.

She also attended Tuesday's player party with her team.

Osaka is the top seed at the WTA Premier and will play—for the first time in Nike—against Hsieh Su-wei, who just beat her in Miami.