Naomi Osaka is stepping away from tennis in the interim.
She introduced her resolution after an upset loss to Canada’s Leylah Annie Fernandez within the third spherical of the U.S. Open on Friday. Osaka — the 2020 U.S. Open girls’s singles champion — stated that she hasn’t felt completely satisfied lately when she wins and that it feels “extra like a reduction,” whereas after dropping, “I really feel very unhappy.” She added that she would not “suppose that is regular.”
“I suppose we’re all coping with some stuff, however I do know that I am coping with some stuff,” Osaka stated. “I actually do not know when I will play my subsequent tennis match.
“I believe I will take a break from enjoying for some time.”
MORE: Why Serena Williams, different tennis stars aren’t enjoying the U.S. Open
Osaka threw her racket in frustration a number of occasions through the match and was issued a code violation within the third set when she hit a ball into the stands.
She apologized within the press convention for the incidents. She stated she had been telling herself to remain calm through the match however felt “perhaps there was a boiling level.”
“Usually, I really feel like I like challenges,” Osaka stated. “However lately I really feel very anxious when issues do not go my method, and I really feel like you possibly can really feel that. I am probably not positive why it occurs the way in which it occurs now.”
MORE: Osaka was delivered to tears in August press convention
Osaka, the world’s No. 3-ranked participant, got here into the match having had three days off as a result of her second-round opponent, Olga Danilovic, withdrew because of sickness. She additionally hadn’t performed a lot in the previous few months. She competed in two matches in August in Cincinnati, in three on the Tokyo Olympics in July and in a single on the French Open in Could.
Osaka withdrew from the French Open, saying she had “suffered lengthy bouts of melancholy” and was stepping away to deal with her psychological well being. She additionally withdrew from Wimbledon and didn’t play once more till the Olympics, the place she lit the cauldron to start the video games in Tokyo.
