US Open: Naomi Osaka is probably taking a longer break from tennis
Naomi Osaka was sobered after her surprising third round out at the US Open against Leylah Fernandez , she will probably take a longer break from tennis.
by Florian Goosmann
last edit: Sep 04, 2021, 01:48 pm
Almost exactly three years ago it was Naomi Osaka who played herself in a frenzy at the US Open, completely carefree and relaxed - and in the end triumphed over Serena Williams in the final. It seems like ages ago.
On Saturday night her opponent played the match of her life, Leylah Fernandez, at the end she jumped around wildly after the greatest success of her young career. Osaka, on the other hand, had given a 7: 5, 6: 5 lead, conceded the first break of the game just before the supposed victory, then played a miserable tie-break, a quick loss of service in the third round, she ran after the rest of the match. Fernandez did the thing with youthful recklessness, but in the end also surprisingly sovereign.
Osaka bowed fairly to her opponent at the net and then quickly looked for the exit. A quick victory sign in the direction of the audience and a slightly annoyed gesture followed, the New York audience is known for the ecstasy when an outsider creates the sensation, like Fernandez.
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Naomi Osaka: "No longer happy when I win"
No matter what viewer, Fernandez no, Naomi Osaka has other problems to contend with . In May she had declared at the French Open as part of a press boycott that she was struggling with mental problems, Wimbledon then dropped her, she was back at the Olympic Games, she had to, she was in too much has become the face of the games in Japan in recent years. Osaka surprisingly lost after two sovereign matches, and in New York their defeat comes unexpectedly after two straight wins.
And will have consequences. "Lately I don't feel happy when I win. It feels more like relief. When I lose, I feel very sad. I don't think that's normal," she said at the press conference. And added that she didn't want to cry - which she couldn't prevent. The head of the press conference stepped in, but Osaka wanted to continue.
She had come to a point where she had to find out what she wanted to do. "To be honest, I don't know when I'll be playing my next tennis match," she said. "I think I'll take a break for a while."
Fernandez, meanwhile, meets Angelique Kerber and is also the outsider here. Whether she can continue the wave of success remains to be seen on Sunday.
Here the single tableau in New York
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