Naomi Osaka: I don’t feel like I’m in my body
Naomi Osaka has opened up about how she is feeling about her current progress following giving birth, after the former No.1 suffered a defeat in Cincinnati qualifying.
Osaka was beaten by American Ashlyn Krueger, 6-3 2-6 6-3, in the final round of qualifying after she did not receive a wildcard for the WTA 1000 event.
Big win 👏 🇺🇸 #CincyTennis pic.twitter.com/v3GCBq8VEM
— Cincinnati Open (@CincyTennis) August 12, 2024
After having a day to reflect on the defeat, the 26-year-old released a very honest statement on social media about the way she has been feeling on court.
“I’ve been trying to figure out how I feel for the past several hours. In a weird way I’ve come to appreciate losses, you don’t play tennis for 20+ years without your fair share of them,” explained Osaka. “You learn from a loss and then eagerly await your next opportunity to put what you learned to the test.”
She continued, “My biggest issue currently isn’t losses though, my biggest issue is that I don’t feel like I’m in my body. It’s a strange feeling, missing balls I shouldn’t miss, hitting balls softer than I remember I used to.
“I try and tell myself ‘it’s fine you’re doing great, just get through this one and keep pushing’, mentally it’s really draining though. Internally I hear myself screaming ‘what the hell is happening?!?!’”
Osaka spent over 15 months out of action after falling pregnant with her daughter, Shai, before returning at the start of 2024 without a ranking.
Despite the strange feelings Osaka has admitted to having, the four-time major winner has managed to climb back inside the top 100 and had a match point against eventual Roland Garros champion Iga Swiatek earlier this year.
The World No.90 admitted that she has shown flashes of her previous form, but compared her current situation to the feeling after giving birth.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’ve played a handful of matches this year that I felt like I was myself and I know this moment is probably just a small phase from all the new transitions (clay, grass, clay, hard etc), however the only feeling I could liken how I feel right now to is being postpartum,” revealed Osaka.
“That scares me because I’ve been playing tennis since I was 3, the tennis racquet should feel like an extension of my hand. I don’t understand why everything has to feel almost brand new again. This should be as simple as breathing to me but it’s not and I genuinely did not give myself grace for that fact until just now.”
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Although Osaka has admitted to having these conflicting feelings, the Japanese star claims that she is enjoying the process and is looking ahead to the upcoming US Open, “During this time I’ve wondered what do I want out of this whole experience and I realised something. I love the process (though the process doesn’t love me sometimes haha), putting in work everyday and eventually having the opportunity to get to where you want to be.
“I know life isn’t guaranteed so I want to do the best that I can with the time that I have, I want to teach my daughter that she can achieve so many things with hard work and perseverance. I want her to aim for the stars and never think her dreams are too big. Nothing in life is promised but I realised that I can promise myself to work as hard as I can and give it my best shot till the very end. See you in New York.”
Osaka will now head to New York for the US Open, where she is currently fourth alternate to the main draw, but could still receive a wildcard as a two-time former champion.
Inside the baseline…
This is a very honest and brave statement from Naomi Osaka, who has had some very public mental health issues in the past. The former No.1 has had mixed results and performances throughout her comeback, but that is to be expected after spending such a lengthy time out and the WTA Tour has such strength in depth. Although Osaka was focussing on her own performance, it is important to note that Ashlyn Krueger has gone onto beat 16th seed and Olympic silver medallist Donna Vekic in her first main draw match in Cincinnati.
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