Naomi Osaka Drops Relieving Message for Fans After Airline Mishap Triggered Mild Scare Ahead of WTA Cincinnati

Naomi Osaka has been navigating through turbulent times lately. From unexpected losses on the court to an even more surprising loss off it things haven’t exactly been smooth sailing for the tennis star. Imagine gearing up for a Masters only to have your essentials disappear into the abyss due to airport mishandling! But in true Osaka fashion, she’s taken it all in stride. As her Cincinnati Open campaign hung in the balance, fans were holding their breath, wondering if the missing bags would throw another wrench in her plans. Fortunately, Osaka has now given everyone a reason to relax.

The tennis star suffered disappointment at the hands of Elise Mertens in straight sets 6-3, 6-4, in the R2 of the Canadian Open which marred her campaign. It came as a major setback to her and her fans as hard courts are one of the favorite surfaces of the Japanese star. However, she did not let these setbacks take a toll on her and shifted her focus to the next tournament, the Cincinnati Open. But, fate had something unexpected in store for her.  

Her travel to Cincinnati gave her a major setback. In a post she shared on X, the star player revealed that her bags were missing. “Lol @united lost my bags and if I don’t get them tonight or tomorrow I literally can’t play Cinncinati 😂😂😂,” she wrote. While she added the laughing emojis to lighten the mood, it gave a major scare to her fans, who were not sure about her participation due to the incident. But now, things have changed for good.

In the latest post that the 4-time Grand Slam champion shared on X, she gave a relieving update. “Update: I received my bags 🙏🏾,” Osaka wrote. This also highlights that the star player would perform at the Cincinnati Open, where she is scheduled to play Anna Blinkova in the qualifiers.

What happened with Osaka is a fairly common occurrence. In 2023, more than 2.8 million pieces of luggage have been reported either missing, damaged or stolen by passengers. While luggage arrive on their due schedule 99% of the times, Osaka had the misfortune of falling into the 1% before an important tournament.

Osaka’s participation would also set the tone for her as the star player would be eyeing a sensational return to the US Open. But, amidst the series of setbacks, Osaka feels her ‘perfectionism,’ has impacted her game on the tennis courts. 

What did Osaka say about ‘perfectionism’ and her latest performance?

The Japanese star did not have a season to remember ever since she returned from a long hiatus. As she suffered a defeat at the Canadian Open, she reflected upon the reasons that are impacting her game. Speaking after her defeat to Mertens, Osaka expressed her contentment with her performance.

“I feel like I could have put a bit more on the court, a bit more from the baseline shots,” Osaka said. “I got a bit caught up in the idea of being consistent and staying in the exchanges, I don’t know. I’m happy with how I fought despite not winning, but I feel like I learned a lot.” However, she did not fail to reflect upon her shortcomings. 

“Unfortunately, I have always suffered a lot from my perfectionism, and I also tend to doubt myself a lot, but I think it’s necessary to go through this process and have tough losses from which you can learn a lot about yourself.” As the tennis star now desires to return to the top 10 once again, it would be interesting to see how remarkable her campaign remains at the Cincinnati Open. Can she win big at the tournament? Well, only time will tell.