Naomi Osaka‘s return to the Wimbledon spotlight ended in heartbreak on Friday as the four-time Grand Slam champion broke down following a third-round defeat to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
Despite showing early promise by taking the first set, Osaka fell 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in a tense match that left the 27-year-old searching for positives but finding none.
In a post-match press conference marked by emotion, Osaka described herself as “a negative human being” and apologized for being unable to offer any uplifting takeaways.
“I’m just going to be a negative human being today. I’m so sorry,” she said, fighting back tears. “I have nothing positive to say about myself, which is something I’m working on.”
Osaka had not reached the third round at the All England Club in seven years, and for much of the match, she appeared poised to finally make a deeper run on grass. But after her early advantage slipped away, so too did her confidence.
“It was my daughter’s birthday, so I was happy about that this week,” she added. “Other than that, today I’m just constantly replaying the match now.”
Self-reflection and mental battles after defeat
Known for her honest introspection, Osaka admitted the loss stung more than usual because she genuinely believed she could make a strong push into the second week.
“I think it’s ’cause I actually thought I could play well, like, in general,” she said. “Not saying I didn’t play well, but [I wanted to] make a deep run here. I wanted to do better than I did before. Also, I felt like I was trying so hard. I low key busted a vein in my hand, so…”
The Japanese star, who had Nick Kyrgios watching from her box, was visibly trying to compose herself during the match, particularly when she trailed 0-3 in the final set.
“I think every tennis player talks to themselves. That’s why we’re all kind of crazy,” she joked, before acknowledging how much she still dwells on key moments.
“I mean, I think for me, it’s not like I can really even be mad at myself. I was thinking about the break points that I had. She hit some really good serves. Then she hit a backhand. I can’t really do that much about it. Obviously, I’m still going to beat myself up a little bit.”
Despite the disappointment, Osaka recognized that her relationship with grass courts has evolved in a positive direction.
“I think definitely my relationship with grass improves, even though I felt I wanted to do better results-wise,” she said. “I think with each tournament, I learned a little bit more.”
Looking ahead to the hard court swing-where she has historically thrived-Osaka is eager to reset and move forward.
“With her today, I don’t know if I’ve only ever played her on hard court. I think this is the first time I played her on grass. I think her game’s a little more suited for grass than mine at the current moment,” she said. “Yeah, I’m glad to be done with this, and I’m looking forward to the hard courts.”
Osaka‘s candid words offered a rare and raw glimpse into the emotional toll of professional tennis-especially for someone constantly in the global spotlight.
As she shifts focus to the summer hard court season, her fans will be hoping that a return to her favored surface can bring back her winning form and, perhaps, her confidence too.
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