Naomi Osaka can’t afford to disappoint on grass this year for one key reason

Naomi Osaka gets underway at the 2026 Bad Homburg Open

Naomi Osaka is set to kick off her 2026 grass-court campaign at the Bad Homburg Open. The four-time Grand Slam winner has never found her best form on grass, but this season, that needs to change. If she doesn’t, she’ll head into the North American hard-court swing under serious pressure.

This is a crucial period for Naomi Osaka as she prepares for Wimbledon. She hasn’t had a standout result at SW19 since reaching the quarterfinals in 2027, and over the past three years, she hasn’t made it past the fourth round. Another slow start on grass could put her under even more pressure during the hard-court season.

This year’s field in Bad Homburg is packed with top talent. Maria Sakkari leads as World No. 1, and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka holds second seed status. Elena Rybakina, who reached last year’s final, returns as well.

Other notable names include Mirra Andreeva and Barbora Krejcikova. If Osaka wants to go deep into this event and pick up some much-needed ranking points, she’ll need to get through some quality opponents early on.

Why Osaka needs a strong grass court season to avoid North American pressure

Last year, Osaka enjoyed a return to form on the North American hard courts. She reached the final of the Canadian Open and made it through to the semi-finals of the US Open. Those results saw her shoot up the rankings, putting her on the verge of breaking back into the top 10.

While she hasn’t quite managed that yet, Osaka is still holding a solid position in this season’s WTA Live Rankings, currently sitting at 15th. However, if she can’t capitalise on those performances, it could put her in a tough spot heading into the latter part of this season.

So far this year, she’s picked up just 773 ranking points – fewer than 39 other players across all tournaments. This means Osaka will need to match or improve on last year’s results at those two tournaments to avoid slipping down the rankings again.

The extra expectation may not work in her favour either! A strong showing at Bad Homburg and Wimbledon could take some pressure off by reducing what’s at stake during North America’s hard court swing.

If Osaka can pick up some big points and make deep runs at her next two grass-court tournaments, there won’t be so much on the line in North America. However, she’ll need to hit a level we haven’t seen from her before on grass to do it. She hasn’t been past Round 3 at Wimbledon yet and is still chasing her first grass-court title.

Now 28 years old, Osaka has been around long enough to have more experience than most of her rivals. She’ll be looking to make that count soon enough as she prepares for both Bad Homburg and Wimbledon. This is shaping up as an important period for how her entire season unfolds.

Naomi Osaka’s Bad Homburg Open: Full draw and schedule

Osaka will make her season debut on grass in Germany before heading to London for Wimbledon. A win in Bad Homburg would give Osaka 500 points, which is roughly 75% of what she earned from reaching the final in Montreal last year (650).

It won’t be easy, though. Several top players have entered the WTA 500 event in Germany. First up for Osaka is a meeting with Poland’s Magdalena Frech. The Polish player may not be known for her grass-court game, but Osaka shouldn’t take her lightly. Frech holds the No. 45 spot in the world rankings and is very capable on any surface.

If Osaka gets through that opening match, she’ll face either Alex Eala or Elise Mertens next. Eala, in particular, has shown strong form on grass this year and could pose a real challenge for Osaka if they meet.

Beyond that, potential matchups against Mirra Andreeva, Elina Svitolina, and Iga Swiatek await later in the tournament. It’s a tough path to the title. The four-time Grand Slam champion is never one to write off completely – even when conditions aren’t ideal.

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