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Naomi Osaka might be ranked No. 1 but on clay, she says she's no "expert" yet.

Still, the 21-year-old is giving herself a shot at success going into the claycourt season, arguing that her power game can be effective on the surface.

Osaka begins her campaign this week at the indoor WTA event at Stuttgart.

"For sure, I feel like the way that I play is very open," she was quoted by the WTA as telling press at the event. "It's not just for one surface.

"I do think I have chances. It's just knowing what shot to hit at a specific moment is real important for me."

But she's not calling herself a favorite for the tournament, saying "there are a lot of clay experts and I'm not one of them." Instead, her goal for this portion of the season is just to stay healthy.

"Every other court... I have more experience than I have on clay because honestly, every time I come here I get injured," Osaka said.

Having won two straight Grand Slams and all three career titles on hardcourt, she's also going to have to adjust the way she plays. "I guess the bounces are different and you have to swing on the ball differently," she said. "For me, it's a little bit different because I can't hit as flat and you have to change the way you spin the ball."

Osaka is the top seed at Stuttgart.