Osaka, without drama after being eliminated: "My daughter is healthy and my family is well"
The Japanese surprised at the press conference with a mature speech, above any results that could destabilize her. However, on the court, she acknowledges that she still has work to do.
It's been too many seasons without seeing Naomi Osaka win a Grand Slam. She, who once dominated hard court, ends the 2026 season without luck in the big stages. What has changed is her way of facing defeats.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this new Naomi Osaka is that she always takes a perspective and doesn’t let the result of a single match drag her down. The feeling is that she is getting closer to an optimal level to compete with the best again, although for now, she continues to face opponents of a higher level. This time, it was Elena Rybakina who managed to defeat her in the round of 16 of the US Open.
Naomi Osaka confesses she played injured in her match
“Yes, I was affected. I like that you use the word ‘affected.’ In the last match I played, I felt a lot of discomfort in my leg, and it had worsened quite a bit this morning. I couldn’t push off with my foot as I wanted to, and when I landed, it hurt a bit. I was trying to find ways to minimize it. I thought that if I served a little slower, the impact when landing would be less. I think that worked for a while, but obviously, she broke my serve in the second set. Yesterday, they did an ultrasound, and today they did another one right after the match. I will probably get an MRI because, honestly, I don’t know much about what’s going on. I think I have to be smart about the number of matches I play.”
Facing Rybakina's power
“It’s strange. I think you can classify players by power, but, for example, she hits very quickly, and Sabalenka hits very heavy. Both are very powerful, but in different ways. Obviously, both are very good. I don’t think I returned poorly today. I think she placed her serves very well. From Toronto until now, I was trying to attack her first serves a bit more because, the way she plays, she immediately sends your return to the other side of the court. I was trying to take the initiative with the first serve, but obviously, she is one of the best servers in the world.”
A different defeat, without drama
“I’m not disappointed now. It’s a very strange feeling. Maybe I’m getting older, but I don’t feel sad. I think I’m happy to face defeats differently. I try to learn much more from them. If I had to say I was sad about something today, it would be because I couldn’t push off with my foot. I’m sad because I couldn’t do what I had set out to do. But my daughter is healthy, my family is well, and I had the opportunity to play this Grand Slam. I got as far as I could. So I can only move forward.”
A small degree of satisfaction
“I feel that now I am much more consistent than when I was younger. Before, I could go far in a tournament and then lose in the second round of the next one. I’m happy to now regularly be in the second week or in the quarterfinals of the tournaments I play. I feel more confident playing against opponents I should win against on paper. But when the Rybakinas and the top players come, I feel like I need more matches at that level.”
Naomi Osaka surprises with her speech after being eliminated
“If I think about my career and the things I have been able to do, there’s nothing I regret or anything I’m sad about. If I win another Grand Slam, it’s not going to change my life. It’s quite incredible to be able to say that because I remember when I won my first, it was a real whirlwind. If I win another, I think I wouldn’t feel that so much time has passed.”
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Osaka, sin dramas tras caer eliminada: “Mi hija está sana y mi familia está bien”