Servin' It Up: Osaka Crashes Out Early in Berlin Tennis Brawl
Japanese contestant suffers early exit from the Berlin tennis competition - Osaka Eliminated from Berlin Tennis Tournament in Early Stages
What's the deal with Naomi Osaka, huh? The four-time Grand Slam champion, formerly the World No. 1, left the 2025 Berlin Tennis Tournament hanging in the wind. In her opening match, she went down against Russia's Ljudmila Samsonova, 6:3, 6:7 (3:7), 4:6. See ya later, Grunewald—Jessica Pegula, USA's defending champ, is the one calling the shots now.
Not exactly Slam City on the grass courts, huh, Osaka? The Australian Open and US Open, she's nailed 'em on hard courts twice apiece. As of now, the 27-year-old's rank? 57th. On June 30, she'll be in the mix at Wimbledon.
Over in the Wimbledon 2023, Marketa Vondrousova took the cake. The Czech player sent Australian Open champion Madison Keys packing, 7:5, 7:6 (8:6). Sucks for China's Olympic champ Zheng Qinwen—she copped out due to injury.
With Eva Lys already out, German players ain't swimming in the WTA-500 tournament. USA's Coco Gauff, French Open winner, and Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, the current World No. 1, look like the pre-game faves to cop the title.
- Naomi Osaka
- Grass tennis
- USA
- Berlin
- Tournament
- Japanese
- Wimbledon
- Grunewald
Osaka's performance on grass courts has been less than stellar lately. No big surprise, since she bombed out early in the 2025 Berlin Tennis Open to Liudmila Samsonova, losing 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-4. Sure, they both racked up 107 points and 16 games a piece, but Osaka's serve game was a hot mess compared to Samsonova's sharp-shooting 14 aces and higher break point conversion percentage.
Former Wimbledon finalist Andy Roddick sees a silver lining in Osaka's serve, though. He reckons Osaka should go all-out on her serves, mixing up placements more, and pushing the envelope harder on her second serve to keep her nimbleness on grass from turning into a liability. It's clear Osaka needs to shake things up on the grass surface, where she's always been a bit uncomfortable compared to hard courts[1][2][3][4][5].
Let's not forget Osaka's strongest Wimbledon runs? Sneaking into the third round back in 2017 and 2018. Some folks wonder if she'll make it any further at Wimbledon this year given her recent grass court stumbles[4][5].
All in all, Osaka's gotta rethink her game strategy on grass if she wants to improve her results at Wimbledon 2025. The Berlin Open loss was a setback, but with her serve as a potential winner and her willingness to adapt, there's hope for improvement as she gears up for Wimbledon later this month[1][2][3][4][5].
Naomi Osaka's recent performance on grass courts has been subpar, as evident in her early exit from the 2025 Berlin Tennis Open against Liudmila Samsonova. Despite a competitive match, Osaka's serve game was less effective compared to Samsonova's, and she needs to make adjustments to improve her results at Wimbledon 2025. Andy Roddick suggests Osaka should focus on mixing up placements and pushing harder on her second serve to enhance her nimbleness on grass.
