It's been 10 months since a woman other than Naomi Osaka hoisted a Grand Slam singles trophy, but if the star is to make it three majors in a row she's going to have to do something she hasn't done at any level as a professional: succeed on clay.
Over the past year, Osaka has won her first two Grand Slam titles, added a host of new sponsors, changed coaches and vaulted to world No. 1, but through that transformation an inability to achieve anything more than modest results away from hard courts has remained a constant.
This year injuries have played a significant, even primary role in her lack of success away from her preferred surface. She has competed in three tournaments in the lengthy lead-up to the French Open, making it into the quarterfinals in Madrid and Rome and the semifinals in Stuttgart, Germany. On two occasions she withdrew citing injury, first with an abdominal issue in Stuttgart and then with a hand injury in Rome.