Naomi Osaka shared her fear of getting fined before breaking down in tears after her first-round loss at the French Open. The four-time Major winner was edged out by 10th seed Paula Badosa in a tight three-setter, blowing an early break lead in the decider.
Following her 6-7(1) 6-1 6-4 defeat, Osaka said she feared she was letting people down and briefly had to leave her post-match press conference when she became emotional.
Now ranked down at No. 49 in the world, Osaka started crying as she explained why the losses were becoming harder to swallow at this stage in her career.
“I mean, I think as time goes on, I feel like I should be doing better. But also, I kind of talked about this before, maybe a couple years ago, or maybe recently, I’m not sure,” she said.
“I hate disappointing people. So, like, even with Patrick, I was thinking this just now, but he goes from working with, like, the greatest player ever to, like, What the f*** this is? You know what I mean? Sorry for cursing, I hope I don’t get fined, but…”
The 27-year-old was then asked if she wanted a moment and briefly left the room. But she still struggled to find answers for her performance when she returned.
Asked how the defeat could make her stronger, Osaka replied: “I hope you can tell me that. I think, I’m not sure.
“I feel like I learn little things from each match. I think I lost the tiebreaker in Rome, and I didn’t lose the tiebreaker here. So, I mean, I am conscious of things when I’m playing, so maybe the next match I play I’ll learn little things from today.”
Osaka had made it clear that one of her big goals was to improve her game on the clay and grass so she could eventually complete the career Grand Slam by winning the French Open and Wimbledon. But her Roland Garros dream will have to wait.
The former world No. 1 had even dropped down to WTA 125 level to get extra matches on the clay. It paid off, as she lifted the trophy in Saint-Malo earlier this month.
Osaka will now head to the grass to continue her mission of improving on the natural surfaces. She has entered the WTA 500 event in Berlin as a wildcard but her grass schedule is currently unclear.
“I wasn’t really expecting to lose in the first round, so it’s something that I’m going to have to work out. But I think I am excited for when I do play my first match,” she added.
After sending Osaka packing, No. 10 seed Badosa will now face either Elena-Gabriela Ruse or McCartney Kessler.
“She was taking me to the limit. I think the level was really high. I’m really happy with that today,” Badosa said after the match.
