Naomi Osaka’s return to Wimbledon was accompanied by a certain amount of doubt.
The four-time Grand Slam champion was knocked out in the second round by American teenage sensation Emma Navarro, 6-4, 6-1, in a 58-minute thrashing that ended her first Wimbledon tournament since 2019.
“I didn’t have full confidence in myself. Those doubts started to affect my game. I don’t know why those thoughts were so prevalent,” Osaka, who has publicly detailed her mental health struggles, told reporters. “I didn’t feel like I was playing well. I guess those doubts started to affect my game. Obviously, the second set wasn’t so great.”
“I feel like for me, I don’t know… I don’t know why those thoughts were so prevalent, yeah.”
The Japanese star, returning to the tour after a 15-month maternity break, has failed to advance beyond the second round in two consecutive tournaments, although she gave world number one Iga Swiatek a scare on the clay courts at Roland Garros last month.
The confidence she gained from beating Diane Parry in the first round of Wimbledon was shattered against 19th seed Navarro, as Osaka was broken in the seventh game of the first set after four errors.
“I know my last match on clay was very good,” she said with a smile. “Maybe I’ll end up liking this surface a lot more than grass now.”
However, New York native Navarro dominated his way to victory and a third-round matchup that has yet to be determined.
“Naomi is obviously a great player, it’s great to have her back,” Navarro said on court. “I obviously wanted to win today, (and) I played some really good tennis at times. This is my first time on Centre Court. It doesn’t really feel real.”
For Osaka, who entered the tournament ranked 113th, it’s the end of the road at Wimbledon – for this year, at least.
“I’m a little disappointed because I really wanted to do well,” she said. “I feel like I put a lot of time into it. There’s always next year, so…”
The 26-year-old will focus on her daughter Shai, who turns 1 this week, and the upcoming Paris Olympics, where she will compete for Japan.
News Source : nypost.com
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