Naomi Osaka had the best run of her career so far at Wimbledon this year.
Osaka sported an eye-catching outfit at Wimbledon this year which got lots of people talking.
However, it was not just the clothing that had people speaking about Osaka, who beat Aryna Sabalenka en route to reaching the quarter-finals.
Osaka’s Wimbledon run was ended by Karolina Muchova, and the former world number one’s post-match comments have now been questioned.
Steve Flink questions Naomi Osaka’s comments after her defeat to Karolina Muchova at Wimbledon
Tennis Hall of Fame journalist Steve Flink reflected on Osaka’s run at Wimbledon this year on the Tennis and Bagels Podcast.
While Flink was full of credit for the way that Osaka played against Sabalenka, he did also question the comments she made about being low energy after the match.
“Naomi goes out on the Centre Court against Sabalenka, knowing that she had played a couple of very good matches against her this year, including at the French,” began Flink. “Five and three at the French, well played, good quality match in Roland Garros.
“That [Wimbledon] might have been the best I’ve seen Naomi play since coming back as a mother, I’m not sure she’s surpassed that. She’s had some other good ones and had a good [US] Open last year, played some terrific matches there.
“But this to me was, and especially to close it out in a tie-break against the Queen of tie-breaks…Never any hesitation from Naomi, you never sensed that she was worried about that stat or questioning herself, so it was a good effort.
“Didn’t play as well against Muchova. Said she didn’t have as much energy, I didn’t quite understand that frankly.
“You still have to say, okay quarter-finals, first time, coming off her best French and heading into the hard court season which is far and away her favourite surface. I think she will feel like she can maybe exceed what she did last summer which was pretty impressive, with the final and the semis, final in Canada and semis of the Open.
“I’m kind of optimistic about what she will do, whether she can finally pull off her fifth major, I don’t know. But I do think she can put herself in a position to do it and with some good breaks, with a little luck here and there, because what I do like is the way she dominated so many of her matches at Wimbledon
“…This was not a typical Sabalenka loss. We have seen so many like the [Diana] Shnaider one at the French. She got overpowered and she got beaten. She took it well, because she realised that, ‘Okay, this was not a set and a break lead. I was not on the verge of winning and maybe I could have salvaged a victory if I had got out the tie-break’.
“She knew she got outplayed. That’s a credit to Naomi for her sustained aggression off the ground. You could see her keep doing the practice swings after she lost a point, she had that pep, she had that sparkle that day and she knew how well she was playing. She was really plugged in, if I can put it that way, completely plugged in and she knew what she had to do.
“That was all quite interesting. That stretch from Osaka beating Sabalenka, Muchova beating Osaka, to Muchova beating Coco [Gauff], who’s had a come from behind win against [Jessica] Pegula. This thing could have played out so differently and in so many different ways among that contingent I just mentioned. There were so many different possibilities, but Muchova in the end really deserved to be the one in the final from that half of the draw.”
What could stop Naomi Osaka from winning a Grand Slam title in 2026?
Credit: Sofascore
Flink added, “She’s got to learn from it. You’re right about the matchups, part of it is about not enjoying the matchup as much and the challenge is different, Muchova has more variety than Sabalenka so it’s all those elements.
“But it is also, the Naomi that was winning those two Aussies and two US Opens, she knew how to go from big win to big win, or important win to important win and keep going.
“It didn’t happen here, she talked a lot about playing so much and all the tennis she has played and I get it, but I actually thought that was to her benefit and I think she needs to make sure that emotionally and mentally that she is ready for each match. To me there shouldn’t be an energy let down, she had given herself an opportunity and look she lost to a great player, I’m not suggesting anything otherwise but I don’t think she gave the best account of herself.
“And to me, I think it would have been very interesting if she had been able to find her way past Muchova and had been able to play Coco in the semis. Frankly on grass, I would have liked her chances if she had played Coco. I’m not sure I would have liked her chances against [Linda] Noskova, that one would have been tricky. But I would have liked her chances to be in the final and to have that opportunity, and I think in the back of her mind she would have been enjoying the idea of playing Coco on the grass.”
Do you like Naomi Osaka’s desire to create new outfits at Grand Slams or is it a distraction? 👀
What is next for Naomi Osaka?
Osaka is now the world number 13, which is her highest ranking since she returned to the WTA Tour in 2024, following the birth of her daughter, Shai.
The four-time Grand Slam champion will now turn her attention to the North American hard court swing, which has previously provided Osaka with some of her greatest career successes.
Osaka also saw an upturn in form during the North American hard court swing last year, having joined forces with her current coach Tomasz Wiktorowski during this period.
This included Osaka reaching the Canadian Open final and the semi-finals of the US Open.
As a result, Osaka will have a total of 1,490 points to defend during this portion of the season, which she is scheduled to begin at the Washington Open.
Osaka lost in the second round of the WTA 500 tournament last year, and will be hoping for a better result as the third seed at this year’s event.
The main draw of the 2026 Washington Open will get underway on Monday, July 27.
