Naomi Osaka says she is considering taking a break from tennis after her surprise third-round elimination at the US Open.
Key points:
- Osaka says she doesn’t know when she will play her next match
- She lost to Canadian Leylah Fernandez 5-7, 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 in the third round
- Osaka was playing her first major tournament since withdrawing from Roland-Garros
Osaka, the defending champion, lost to Canadian Leylah Fernandez 5-7 7-6 (7-2) 6-4, before breaking down in tears as she spoke at her post-match press conference.
“I feel like I’m at that point where I’m trying to figure out what I want to do,” she told reporters.
“Honestly, I don’t know when I’m going to play my next tennis match.
“I think I’m going to take a break from gaming for a while.“
Playing in his first major tournament since withdrawing from the French Open earlier this year and revealing his battle with depressionOsaka’s campaign at Flushing Meadows did not go as planned.
The third seed slapped his racket, then threw it onto the court twice in frustration as Fernandez scored five straight points in the second set tie-break.
Osaka received no warnings or code violations from the chair umpire, while she also left the court between the second and third sets.
She later told reporters that she was having trouble containing her emotions.
“I’m really sorry about that,” she said.
“I was telling myself to be calm, but I feel like there may have been a boiling point.
“Normally, I seem to like a challenge. But recently I’ve been feeling really anxious when things don’t go the way I want them to, and I feel like it’s showing.
“I don’t really know why it’s happening the way it’s happening now.”
Osaka’s troubles continued as Fernandez, 18, broke her serve to start the third set.
The two-time US Open winner hit a ball into the stands in the second match, prompting a warning from the chair umpire.
In the ninth game, Osaka rushed to her serves, not even waiting for the crowd to calm down, as she failed to create a single break chance in the final set.
A fan favorite, Osaka has struggled with inconsistent performances since she withdrew from Roland Garros earlier this year amid a public row with tournament officials over required media appearances, which she said were having a negative impact on her mental health.
She told fans she had battled depression for years, sparking new discussions about mental health in professional sports.
Fernandez achieves career highlight
It was a breakthrough performance for Fernandez, who reached the fourth round of a major tournament for the first time just days before his 19th birthday.
She scored 28 winners over the three sets and said in a television interview that she worked on “just finding the solutions” during the match.
“She’s a great server, she’s been hitting aces left, right and center,” Fernandez said of Osaka.
Osaka (left) congratulates Leylah Fernandez after their match. (Getty: Matthew Stockman)
Fernandez said she could also rely on her own serve, as she won more than 75 percent of her points on her first serve, while also landing six aces.
“I’ve been serving really well these last few matches,” Fernandez said.
“Today I went out on the court with a lot of confidence in my serve, trusting in it, knowing that I was going to hit my targets when I needed to, and I did.”
Fernandez will next face 2016 champion Angelique Kerber of Germany.
Reuters
