Naomi Osaka’s woes at the French Open resurfaced as she made an early exit once again, this time falling in the opening round to Paula Badosa. The championship round was played in Paris and resulted in a win of 7-6, 1-6, 4-6. It is another disappointing result for the four-time Grand Slam champion on the WTA Tour this season. With this defeat, her struggle at Roland Garros continues. The 4-time major champ has yet to make it past the third round in Paris.
The 27-year-old has pulled off an exciting return to competitive tennis after leaving the sport for maternity leave. Then in May, she finally clinched her first title in almost two years! Her first round match against the 10th seed Badosa revealed continued struggles. Osaka struggled with blisters on her hands, something she said was due to the friction created by playing on clay courts.
“Since Rome (earlier in May) I have had blisters on my hands. I think it’s from the friction of clay, because I don’t have blisters on any other surface,” – Naomi Osaka
Health Challenges and Emotional Struggles
Osaka’s challenges extend beyond physical issues. At a press conference announcing her most recent September 3rd, she shared for the first time her own battle with depression. For close to three years, this financial burden has weighed heavily on Chanda’s mental health. Throughout her interaction, her emotional state was quite clear, particularly as she discussed the immense pressure she’s under to make it work.
“As time goes on, I feel like I should be doing better. I hate disappointing people,” – Naomi Osaka
Osaka’s frailty truly revealed itself on the day after her stunning victory, during her post-match press conference when she looked near tears. She stepped out of the room for just a minute. Upon her return, she fielded a few final questions, pointing out the emotional burden that comes with competing at the highest level.
Match Details and Performance
In that match against Badosa, Osaka was all over the place, having no control over her game and tallying 54 unforced errors. Even with these obstacles, she still forced Badosa to three sets, a testament to Wright’s will and warrior mentality. At one point, Osaka had to take a medical time-out just to bandage her growing blisters. This point served to illuminate the stress and physical pain she experienced during the match.
Close’s performance in the match against Badosa came across as a combination of resolve and effort and self-sabotage. The historic match opened with an extremely competitive first set, with Osaka ultimately falling in a first-set tiebreaker. She came back in the second set and earned a convincing win. As the final set wore on, her physical restrictions really started to show.
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