“Felt Like I Lost Everything”: Naomi Osaka on Losing at US Open 2019 and Dealing With the Pressure

Tennis star Naomi Osaka has been dominating the headlines in recent years. Her performances on the hard courts have been outstanding. At the age of 23 years, she has already won four Grand Slam titles. Her achievements off the court too have been exceptional.

Recently, a documentary on Osaka was released on Netflix. In the limited series, she has spoken and revealed various things that have played a part in her life, both on the court and off the court too. However, one thing that caught my attention was her feeling after losing at the US Open 2019.

In the episode, the 23-year-old stated, “For the first time, I was the defending champion. So I felt like so much pressure and stuff.”

Naomi Osaka won her first Major in 2018 

When she won the US Open in 2018, she was the underdog and played without much pressure. However, when she returned in the following year as the defending champion, there was added baggage on her shoulders.

In recent times, tennis fans have been made aware of the Japanese stars’ vulnerability when it comes to coping up with various kinds of pressures and anxiety. At the French Open this year, she decided to skip post-match press conferences as she was dealing with mental battles.

Coming onto tennis, Osaka started her season in Australia and ended up winning the season’s first Grand Slam tournament. However, in recent months she has been underperforming. She even skipped the Wimbledon Championships this year. She will be next seen representing her nation at the Tokyo Olympics 2020.

Naomi will be headlining the event along with compatriot Kei Nishikori. It will be interesting to see how she performs after resuming her season after a break.

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