Tennis star Osaka continues to yearn for triumph after her recent setback at Wimbledon
Naomi Osaka, the four-time Grand Slam champion, suffered a disappointing defeat in the third round of Wimbledon 2024, losing to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in a closely contested match. The scoreline read 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in favour of the Russian player.
Osaka, who is currently ranked 53rd in the WTA rankings, started the match strongly by winning the first set on Court 2. However, Pavlyuchenkova, not traditionally strong on grass courts, demonstrated her mental toughness to turn the match around and secure the victory.
Following her loss, Osaka expressed her disappointment, stating, "Right now I'm just really upset." When asked if she considered retiring from tennis, Osaka said, "Yeah... I feel like I'd be kind of crazy not to, but I think right now I have so many things I want to attempt to achieve."
The Japanese star has struggled on grass in recent Grand Slam tournaments, particularly at Wimbledon. Her historical performance at the tournament has been limited, with her best performances being reaching the third round twice, in 2017 and 2018. Osaka has acknowledged that fear of playing on grass affected her in the past, but she is working to overcome it.
Grass is a surface that Osaka has historically found challenging. She has mentioned feeling less comfortable on grass compared to hard courts, which has affected her performance. Additionally, after a maternity break, Osaka's rankings have fluctuated, and she is currently ranked around 50th. This has meant she faces tough opponents early in tournaments, which can impact her progression.
Despite the loss, Osaka mentioned that her competitive nature and being the younger sister might be reasons for her continued participation in tennis. She expressed that she has nothing positive to say about herself after her Wimbledon loss and stated that she prefers to feel nothing rather than everything, following her loss at Wimbledon.
Pavlyuchenkova, despite the majority of spectators cheering for Osaka, remained focused during her matches. The Russian player, who reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 2016, hopes to emulate that run in the future. Pavlyuchenkova is a former French Open finalist and will be aiming to make a deep run at the remaining Grand Slams this year.
Osaka, who gave birth to a daughter in July 2023 and returned to tennis in the 2024 season after a 15-month sabbatical, is looking forward to the hard court season following her Wimbledon exit. The Australian Open, set to begin in January 2025, will be her first opportunity to compete on her preferred surface since her return.
As Osaka continues to work on her game and overcome her challenges on grass, tennis fans will be eagerly awaiting her return to form and her pursuit of more Grand Slam titles.
Despite her loss at Wimbedon 2024, Naomi Osaka, the four-time Grand Slam champion, expressed her desire to participate in more tournaments, especially on hard courts, mentioning the Australian Open as her first opportunity to compete on her preferred surface since her return after a 15-month sabbatical. In a surprising twist, it was Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, not traditionally strong on grass courts, who clinched the victory from Osaka in a closely contested match.
