Naomi Osaka has issued a public apology after being stunned by world No. 53 Camila Osorio in the first round of Indian Wells. The 2018 champion was second best throughout the contest as she was beaten 6-4, 6-4.
Osaka returned to the court for the first time since she was forced to retire from her Australian Open third-round clash with Belinda Bencic in January. The 27-year-old was the overwhelming favourite to win her encounter with Osorio but fell short as her opponent became the first Colombian to beat a former world No. 1.
After the match, Osaka took to Threads to give her thoughts on the result. And she was clearly unhappy with her performance as she wrote: “Worst match I’ve ever played in my life. Wow, I’m so sorry to everyone who watched that.”
She did respond more positively in her post-match press conference, however, as she explained: “There were certain things that felt extremely off because I could only start to practise serving after a certain amount of time.
“I think given the situation, it wasn’t that terrible. It just feels like a little bump in the road.”
Osorio, who will face Danish star Clara Tauson in the second round, was quizzed about her victory during an on-court interview.
And she explained: “First, good evening everyone, I’m Camila Osorio. It’s crazy for me, it’s a dream come true. I really wanted to play on this court. I was really excited and looking forward to playing a champion like Naomi, so I can’t believe I won.”
She then praised the atmosphere at the arena as she added: “I was just trying to give a good show and was enjoying playing one point at a time.”
Osaka is a four-time Grand Slam champion having tasted her first success on the biggest stage at the 2018 US Open before winning the very next Major at the Australian Open four months later. She then claimed back-to-back titles in New York and Melbourne for a second time two years later.
The Japanese star has since struggled to find her best form on the court and has suffered a number of injury setbacks. She took a year off in 2023 as she gave birth to her daughter, before returning to action at the start of 2024.
Osaka failed to progress beyond the second round of a Grand Slam last season, but will be eyeing up a return to her best as the 2025 season progresses.
