“I honestly don’t know when I am going to play my next tennis match,” announced defending US Champion Naomi Osaka at her news conference after a shocking loss to 18-year-old Leylah Fernandez from Canada. Osaka broke down during the news conference after making this announcement.
“I think I am gonna take a break from playing for a while,” added Osaka.
“I feel like for me, recently, like when I win, I don’t feel happy. I feel more like a relief. And then when I lose, I feel very sad,” Osaka said earlier in the post-match news conference. “I don’t think that’s normal.”
Just a few months ago, Osaka withdrew from the French Open after revealing she has struggled with her mental health since first becoming a Grand Slam champion in 2018. Osaka announced her withdrawal from Roland Garros a day after she was fined $15,000 by the French Open and warned that she could face expulsion from the tournament, following her decision not to speak with the press during the tournament.
The 23-year-old World Number 3 also missed Wimbledon before returning to tennis at the Tokyo Olympics, where she lit the flame at the opening ceremony.
