“My mindset now is probably the most clear it’s been in a very long time,” Naomi Osaka confidently said ahead of her Australian Open campaign, in January. Despite her abdominal injury, the 27-year-old mother, who welcomed daughter Shai in 2023, made it to the final of the ASB Classic prior to her Melbourne trip. The two-time AO queen was expected to make a solid return at the first major of the season. However, she failed to do so, after withdrawing due to the same injury in the third round against Belinda Bencic. After more than a month, she was back on the court at the Indian Wells this week, thanks to a timely recovery. But guess what? The former World No.1 – now ranked 56th – failed once again.

On Thursday, in what one can call the biggest upset in the very week of BNP Paribas Open, Columbia’s 53-ranked Camila Osorio ousted the four-time Slam queen. Naomi Osaka’s return to Indian Wells started with early pressure, facing two break points in her second service game. She held on until 4-4, but Camila Osorio, gaining confidence, displayed strong defense and forced Osaka errors. Osorio secured a crucial break for a 5-4 lead and then took the first set.

Riding this momentum, Osorio earned match point on Osaka’s serve at 5-3 in the second set. Despite Osaka’s defense, Osorio remained focused, sealing a historic win, 6-4, 6-4, with a forehand winner, becoming the first Colombian to defeat a former top-seed on the WTA tour. In just 91 minutes, Osorio forced her out of the competition. Osorio was understandably thrilled with her achievement.

“It’s crazy for me,” her Columbian opponent said after hitting the winning forehand to beat Osaka. “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 added, as widely reported on March 6. But how is Osaka feeling right now?

Well, she’s clearly not happy at all. Taking to her Threads account, the Japanese WTA star wrote, “Worst match I’ve ever played in my life. Wow, I’m so sorry to everyone who watched that.” For the uninitiated, Osaka has been a former Indian Wells champion. Back in 2018, she beat Daria Kasatkina 6-3, 6-2 in the final clash to clinch the trophy.

In the post-match press conference, Osaka provided further insight into the reasons for her struggles. “There were certain things that felt extremely off because I could only start to practice serving after a certain amount of time,” she said. “I think given the situation, it wasn’t that terrible, it just feels like a little bump in the road.”

Osaka came into this match following her loss in an exhibition face-off against World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka last week. They battled it out during the MGM Rewards Slam, in Las Vegas, where the three-time major winner dominated Osaka with a score line of 6-4, 6-4.

Coming back to the Indian Wells setback, Osaka will try to regain her spirits and focus on the remaining season. And she looks determined as well to do so. After all, the four-time Major queen is keen to capture her fifth Slam!

Naomi Osaka focused on winning her next Grand Slam soon

Yes, she’s not going through a great form this year, but that doesn’t mean she’s lost her concentration. Ahead of her Indian Wells campaign, she sat down for an interview with CNN, dated February 22, where she revealed her real objectives moving forward. Is she looking to win a WTA title? No, but something bigger than that – her next major trophy.

Reflecting on her journey ahead, Naomi Osaka said, “I have a lot of goals going forward. For as long as I can play, I really want to win Wimbledon and Roland Garros (the French Open) and get a career grand slam.” 

Along with that, she’s also mainly focusing on spending more time with her daughter. Ever since her birth, Osaka’s perspective towards life has changed drastically. Shai is the one who she cares the most about these days. “I’d rather spend time with my daughter if I’m not where I think I should be and where I feel like I can be,” she confessed last year, ahead of her comeback with the ASB Classic.

In the same interview with CNN, Osaka reiterated her motherly feelings. “What I’ve learned about myself is that I’m patiently impatient,” she said. “Becoming a mom, I’ve learned to become a lot more patient and sort of understand that I can’t control everything, but I can only do my best in certain situations and hope that the outcome is positive, but if not, then there’s always another day”

It will be intriguing to see how Osaka makes a solid on-court return. Do you think she will do it soon with her next WTA appearance? Let us know in the comments below.