‘Not Sure If We Are Gonna Ever See the Great Naomi Osaka Again’, Says 7-Time Grand Slam Champion

Yesterday, the Australian Open saw one of the biggest upsets of the tournament so far, as last year’s winner Naomi Osaka crashed out of the competition. The Japanese no.1 player lost to Amanda Anisimova of the United States in a tight match. Until yesterday, the 4-time Grand Slam winner was having a good season so far. 

Naomi has been inconsistent in 2021 after winning the Australian Open at the beginning of the year. Due to mental health issues, she was out of the tennis court for a while. Former Swedish tennis player, Mats Wilander thinks Naomi will never win another Grand Slam.

Former Swedish Tennis player doubts Naomi Osaka

One glaring fact Naomi Osaka can’t overlook is that she never reached the second week when defending a Grand Slam Title. Despite that, the Japanese player had a really successful career so far, winning 4 Grand Slam titles at the age of 24. However, 7-time Grand Slam singles winner Mats Wilander believes we will never see the great Naomi Osaka again. 

“I’m not sure if we are gonna ever see the great Naomi Osaka who’s gonna win Grand Slam tournaments again… We realize that it’s gonna be tough for her… She’s gonna have to reevaluate a little bit… why am I out here playing tennis?… I need to learn how to volley, I need to learn how to hit a slice backhand. I need to learn a new language, so to speak,” Wilander said. 

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The Swedish player also thinks that Naomi should forget about the past and move on. “That’s the hard part being a professional tennis player… we should not expect Naomi Osaka of old to ‘be back’ and she needs to look forward… it’s not gonna be easy,” Wilander further stated.

More bad news for the Japanese player

After her third-round exit at the Australian Open, Naomi Osaka will suffer a massive drop-off in the WTA rankings. The Japanese player will become the new number 84 in the world, which is a huge disadvantage in terms of directly qualifying for a Grand Slam. 

She will probably have to play a qualifying match at the French Open, which will take place in May. To move up in the rankings, Naomi needs to play more matches on the tour and win tournaments. If she can focus on tennis, she will definitely win another Grand Slam. 

Can Naomi win another Grand Slam? Let us know in the comments.

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