THE ALL ENGLAND CLUB, LONDON Naomi Osaka said she felt numb after her third-round defeat to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova at Wimbledon Friday.
Osaka won the first set and looked on her way to a first fourth-round appearance at the All England Club, before eventually succumbing to a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 defeat. She is yet to reach the second week of a Grand Slam since returning to the tour for the 2024 season, following the birth of her daughter, Shai.
Asked to compare how she felt after this latest loss with her devastation at losing to Paula Badosa in the first round of Roland Garros in May, Osaka said: In Paris, I was very emotional. Now I dont feel anything, so I guess Id prefer to feel nothing than everything.
On that occasion, after losing another tight three-setter, Osaka had to briefly leave the interview room in tears. She explained that close defeats hurt more than they used to, because she expects more of herself now that shes in her second year back on the tour. She described how they impact those around her, including her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou.
I hate disappointing people, Osaka said. So even with Patrick, I was thinking this just now But he goes from working with the greatest player ever (Serena Williams, who Mouratoglou coached for a decade) to, like, What the f this is? You know what I mean? Sorry for cursing, I hope I dont get fined, but
Osaka was more sanguine on Friday, but still upset, explaining that part of her disappointment was that she thought she could go on a run here. I think its cause I actually thought I could play well, like, in general, Osaka said at a tournament where the draw has opened up with so many seeds exiting early.
Not saying I didnt play well, but make a deep run here. I wanted to do better than I did before. Also, I felt like I was trying so hard.
Since returning to the tour, Osaka has struggled to hit the heights of the early part of her career, when she won four Grand Slams and became the world No. 1. She has been in better form of late, winning a WTA 125 tournament (one rung below the main tour) in France in May and then re-entering the worlds top 50. This week she matched her best performance at a major since the start of her comeback.
Osakas getting closer to her best level, but she keeps losing tight matches. Six of her last seven defeats have been in three sets, and all six of them have featured a 6-4, 7-5, or 7-6 scoreline in the final set.
The upcoming hard-court swing, first across the U.S. and Canada and then China and Japan, is where Osaka has tended to thrive. But last year it was a disappointment and she said she didnt want to raise expectations and then feel let down.
Osaka, who admits she is too hard on herself, added: Im just going to be a negative human being today. Im so sorry. I have nothing positive to say about myself, which is something Im working on.
Pavlyuchenkova, a former world No. 11 and French Open finalist who is ranked No. 50, will play Britains Sonay Kartal in the fourth round on Sunday. Osakas next event is scheduled to be the Citi Open in Washington D.C in late July.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Tennis, Women’s Tennis
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