‘I’m not God!’ – Naomi Osaka remains upbeat despite shock Australian Open exit
Naomi Osaka has remained positive despite exiting the Australian Open early as she looks to be kinder to herself this year and recognises she “can’t win every match.”
Defending champion Osaka was knocked out of the Australian Open by Amanda Anisimova as the American youngster extended her impressive run.
Anisimova also beat Olympic gold medallist Belinda Bencic in the second round and will now face two-time Slam winner, World number one and home favourite Ash Barty in the next round.
Four-time Grand Slam titlist Osaka withdrew from both the French Open and Wimbledon last year due to suffering from periods of depression and anxiety.
The Japanese star’s decision proved to be polarising with Germany’s greatest male player ever Boris Becker being extremely critical of her decision, whilst opponent Anisimova and legend Venus Williams both praised her honesty and transparency.
This year, Osaka has recently said that she is aiming to be kinder to herself in an attempt to try to enjoy her tennis again.
In a post-match press conference following her loss, Osaka said “Yeah, [I can take fun from the match] definitely. I think I fought for every point.
“I can’t be sad about that. You know, like I’m not God. I can’t win every match.
“So I just have to take that into account and know that it would be nice to win the tournament, but that’s really special and I can’t think of myself to try to win the Grand Slam at the start of the year every time.
“For me, I feel like I grew a lot in this match. The last match that I played in New York (US Open) I think I had a completely different attitude, so I’m really happy with – of course I lost – but I’m happy with how it went.
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