Naomi Osaka’s most recent outing at Wimbledon didn’t go as planned, as she fell short of reaching the fourth round—something she seemed eager to forget.
When asked about her mindset post-loss to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova on Friday, Osaka expressed her regret for not having any upbeat thoughts to share.
“I’m going to be a negative person today,” Osaka admitted. “Sorry. I can’t find anything positive about myself right now. That’s something I’m working on. I was happy this week because it was my daughter’s birthday, but besides that, I’ve been just playing games non-stop.”
Osaka started strong with the first set at 6-3 but struggled in the final two sets against Pavlyuchenkova, ultimately leading to her exit from the tournament.
In her earlier matches, she managed to defeat Talia Gibson and Katerina Srebotnik, but despite making it to the round of 32 for the first time since 2017 and 2018, she didn’t capitalize on the opportunity.
Having lost in the first round of the French Open back in May—where she dealt with painful blisters—Osaka’s last victory before Wimbledon had been nearly four years ago at France’s L’Open 35 De Saint-Malo.
After her recent win at Australia’s event in 2021, Osaka playfully shared a job application on social media for those who constantly had things to say.
“It’s kind of funny to win my first trophy on a surface I thought I was terrible at,” Osaka reflected in another social media post following the title win. “It’s one of my life’s lessons: there’s always room for improvement and growth. I know it’s been a rough path, but I’m grateful for those who have been with me along the way.”
Once ranked Number One in women’s tennis in 2019, Osaka took a 15-month break from the sport for mental health reasons and maternity leave before announcing her comeback in 2024.
She returned to the US Open, the tournament she had won in 2018 and 2020, where she did manage to win her first match before falling in the second round.
