Former world No. 1 tennis player Naomi Osaka suffered a first-round defeat at the Paris Olympics on Saturday, losing to Germany's Angelique Kerber 7-5, 6-3. The loss has prompted Osaka to admit she needs to rediscover her winning form.
“I guess I need to learn how to win again. Maybe that's something I forgot how to do,” Osaka said in a post-match interview, as reported by the Associated Press. “Maybe I have to keep playing matches against really good players to relearn that.”
The 26-year-old Japanese-born player, who has four Grand Slam titles to her name, expressed disappointment with her performance but remained optimistic about her future in the sport. Osaka's Olympic journey in Paris was cut short, reminiscent of her early exit at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.
“I felt more pressure in Tokyo,” Osaka said. “I honestly felt like I could have done better today.”
Osaka's struggle was evident in her match statistics, committing 30 unforced errors compared to Kerber's 11. She managed to break Kerber's serve only once while losing four of her own service games.
The match took an unexpected turn when Osaka appeared to injure her left leg at 4-3 in the second set. Despite receiving medication, she failed to win another game.
“I felt like I hyperextended (it) a little bit. I felt a pinch while I was playing,” Osaka said.
Naomi Osaka finding her form again after hiatus
Osaka's opponent, 36-year-old Kerber, a silver medalist at the 2016 Rio Olympics, celebrated the victory as part of her farewell tour.
“To win a match like this against Naomi, who is such a great champion – that means a lot, especially because it's my last tournament. It shows me that I can still beat the top players,” Kerber said. “I just tried to enjoy every moment. I'm just looking forward to having another dance.”
Osaka's meteoric rise in tennis occurred between 2018 and 2021, during which she claimed four Grand Slam titles and became the highest-earning female athlete globally. However, her career took a turn during the 2021 French Open when she openly discussed her struggles with anxiety and depression, initiating a series of breaks for mental health reasons.
Following a hiatus for pregnancy and the birth of her daughter in mid-2023, Osaka made her Grand Slam comeback at the 2024 Australian Open. She showed promising form at the subsequent French Open, challenging the eventual champion, Iga Swaitek, in a closely contested match.
Despite her overall success, Osaka has consistently found clay courts challenging. The surface tends to neutralize her powerful serve and forehand, which are typically her most formidable weapons against opponents.
“I feel like my serve could have been a lot better. When I was practicing, I felt the same way,” Osaka said. “But I feel like that's never an excuse to lose.”
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