Naomi Osaka makes heartbreaking confession after US Open exit
The former world No. 1 crashed out of the second round at Flushing Meadows and her reaction gave a worrying glimpse of her internal struggles.
Naomi Osaka has admitted she struggles to cope with losing tennis matches, as she opened up on 2024 being a "learning year" after her US Open exit.
The Japanese star returned from a break of maternity leave at the Australian Open following the birth of her daughter, Shai, last year.
But as many would expect, the 26-year-old has taken a while to get back up to the speed and demands that come with being a full-time professional tennis player.
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The four-time Grand Slam winner suffered a first-round exit in Melbourne and later crashed out in the second round at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. The US Open has offered some glimpses of her progress, with a straight sets victory over 10th seed Jelena Ostapenko in the first round.
But she was no match for the Czech Karolina Muchova, who deployed her serve-and-volley tactics to a tee in recording a 6-3, 7-6 (5) victory on Thursday.
Reflecting on her latest loss, Osaka gave a depressing outlook on how she deals with losing, revealing her "heart dies every time" she tastes defeat.
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"It's a little rough because I do take these losses really personally," Osaka said. "It's like a dramatic word, but I feel like my heart dies every time I lose,"
"I've been trying to be more mature and learn and talk more about them."
Osaka spent 15 months out of the sport in preparing for the arrival of her first child and decided to pack her schedule full with tournaments to help her return to her best form.
The former world No. 1 now sits 85th in the WTA Rankings, meaning she often ends up with tougher draws in the early stages of the tournament than before.
Bit by bit, she can feel her fitness returning to peak levels again, but admitted losing a such an early stage of a Grand Slam is never easy to take - with her latest Major triumph coming back in 2021.
"It's been a little difficult because obviously I can only gauge how I'm doing by results," she added. "I feel faster. I feel better, but I lost in the second round. So it's a little rough.
"But, also, it's been fun playing a lot of tournaments. It's been a commitment for sure, but I've been able to go to different cities that I've never been to.
This year for me has been a learning year. I put a lot of energy and effort into all the tournaments that I played. Obviously the U.S. Open is very special to me."
