Joe McConnell
Naomi Osaka has compared her Cincinnati Open qualifying defeat to “postpartum,” adding in an emotional Instagram post that the feeling “scaries” her.
The former world No. 1 took more than a year off from the game, becoming a mother for the first time last July, before returning to action in January.
The four-time Grand Slam champion has struggled to maintain consistency since her return, failing to advance beyond the second round of the French Open and Wimbledon after a first-round exit at the Australian Open.
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Elise Mertens capitalized on Osaka’s mistakes to win in three sets and advance to the third round of the Canadian Open in Toronto.
Currently ranked 90th in the world, Osaka lost to American Ashlyn Krueger, ranked 65th in the world, in the final round of qualifying for the Cincinnati Open, prompting her to post an emotional social media post on Tuesday.
“I’ve been trying to figure out how I feel over the last few hours,” Osaka said. “In a weird way, I’ve learned to appreciate the losses. You don’t play tennis for more than 20 years without your fair share of losses.
“My biggest problem right now is not the losses, my biggest problem is that I don’t feel in my body. It’s a strange feeling, losing balls that I shouldn’t lose, hitting softer balls than I remember doing before.
“I try to tell myself ‘it’s okay, you’re doing great, get through this and keep pushing’, mentally it’s really exhausting. Inside I’m screaming ‘what the hell is going on?!?!'”
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Ons Jabeur looked out of form, while Osaka comfortably advanced to the second round of the Canadian Open in straight sets
She added: “Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had a couple of matches this year where I felt like myself and I know that this is probably just a small phase in all the new transitions (clay, grass, clay, hard, etc.), but the only feeling I could compare to what I feel now is postpartum.
“This scares me because I’ve been playing tennis since I was three years old and the tennis racket is supposed to be like an extension of my hand.
“I don’t understand why everything has to feel almost brand new. For me it should be as easy as breathing, but it’s not and honestly I’ve never given myself that grace until recently.”
The Cincinnati Open was Osaka’s last opportunity to prepare before the final Grand Slam of the year, the US Open, where she is a two-time champion (2018 and 2020).
Osaka is a two-time champion at Flushing Meadows
Despite her previous successes, Osaka’s rankings require her to earn a wild card into the main draw if she is to avoid another qualifying crunch.
Choosing to remain positive despite the fears highlighted in her post, Osaka concluded by saying, “I love the process (even if sometimes the process doesn’t love me back, haha), putting in the work every day, and ultimately having the opportunity to get to where you want to be.
“I know that life is not guaranteed, so I want to do the best I can with the time I have, I want to teach my daughter that she can achieve so many things with hard work and perseverance. I want her to reach for the stars and never think her dreams are too big.
“Nothing in life is promised, but I’ve learned that I can promise myself that I’ll work as hard as I can and give it my all until the end. See you in New York.”
What’s happening on Vscek Tennis?
Ahead of the final Grand Slam of 2024, the US Open, you’ll be able to see all the biggest tennis stars in action Live on Sky Sport as they compete during the season on the hard courts.
- Cincinnati Open (ATP 1000) – August 12-19
- Cincinnati Open (WTA 1000) – August 13-19
- Winston-Salem Open (ATP 250) – August 18-24
- Tennis in the Land, Cleveland (WTA 250) – August 18-24
- GNP Seguros Open, Monterrey (WTA 500) – August 19-24
- US Open (ATP/WTA) – August 26 – September 8
Vscek+ has officially launched and will be integrated into Sky TV, the NOW streaming service and the Vscek app, giving Vscek customers access to over 50% more live sport this year, at no extra cost.
