Naomi Osaka’s return to Wimbledon came with a confidence slump.
The four-time Grand Slam champion was defeated in the second round by American teenage sensation Emma Navarro in a crushing 58-minute win, bringing an end to her first Wimbledon tournament since 2019.
“I just didn’t have a ton of confidence in myself. Those doubts started to really affect my game. I don’t know why those thoughts were so prevalent,” Osaka, who has been open about her mental health struggles, told reporters. “I just didn’t feel like I was playing that good. Those doubts started to really affect my game. The second set was obviously not that good.”
“I don’t know myself… I don’t know why those ideas were so widespread.”
The Japanese star, who returned to the tour after a 15-month maternity leave, threatened world number one Iga Swiatek on the clay courts of Roland Garros last month but failed to get beyond the second round for the second consecutive tournament.
The confidence she gained from beating Diane Parry in the first round at Wimbledon was shattered in her match against Navarro, the 19th seed in the tournament, as Osaka made four errors and was broken in the seventh game of the first set.
“I know my last clay court match was really good,” she said with a smile, “so maybe I like clay a lot more now than grass.”
But the New York native won in a dominant fashion and his third-round opponent is yet to be determined.
“Naomi is obviously a great player and I’m happy to have her back,” Navarro said on court. “Obviously I wanted to win today and I played some really good tennis at times. This is my first time on Centre Court. It feels surreal.”
For Osaka, who entered the tournament ranked 113th in the world, this marks the end of Wimbledon for this year, at least.
“I’m a little disappointed because I really wanted to do well,” she said. “I feel like I put in a lot of time and there’s next year too.”
The 26-year-old will now turn her focus to her daughter Shai, who turns one this week, and the Paris Olympics, where she will be representing Japan.
