Naomi Osaka continues to face challenges in her comeback season, eight months after returning to the tennis circuit. Her most recent disappointment came at the Cincinnati Open, where she was defeated in three sets by Ashlyn Krueger in the second round of qualifying. This latest setback comes just weeks before the US Open, leaving Osaka feeling unsettled about her current form.
Osaka, who once held the world No. 1 ranking, has experienced a string of tough losses recently. After an early exit from the Paris Olympics, where she fell to Angelique Kerber in the first round, she was also eliminated in the round of 32 at the Canadian Open. These results have only added to her frustration as she struggles to regain the consistency and power that once defined her game.
Naomi Osaka Opens Up About Struggles and Frustrations Following Cincinnati Loss
Following her loss in Cincinnati, Osaka shared her thoughts on Instagram, expressing her confusion and frustration with her current performance. “It’s not just the losses that bother me,” she wrote. “What’s most troubling is that I don’t feel like myself on the court. I’m missing shots I shouldn’t and playing with less power than I used to. It’s been mentally exhausting trying to push through.”
Osaka returned to the tour in January after a 15-month break during which she welcomed her first child. Although she has shown flashes of her former self, with quarter-final finishes in Doha and ‘s-Hertogenbosch, she admits that she is struggling to reconnect with her game. “There were a few matches this year where I felt like the old me, but right now, it’s like I’m dealing with a post-partum phase,” she explained, adding that the racquet, once so familiar, now feels foreign in her hands.
As she prepares for the upcoming US Open at Flushing Meadows, where she previously won titles in 2018 and 2020, Osaka is hoping to rediscover her rhythm. “This should be second nature to me by now, but it isn’t,” she confessed. “I’m just now realizing that I need to be kinder to myself as I work through this.”
With the US Open on the horizon, Osaka remains determined to overcome these obstacles and return to the top of her game.
