A day after failing in the qualifying round of the Cincinnati Open, Naomi Osaka is considering her next steps – and she says frankly that she has internally reassessed her game.
“My biggest problem right now isn’t the losses, my biggest problem is not feeling like I’m in my body,” Osaka, 26, wrote in a lengthy Instagram post on Tuesday, August 13. “It’s a weird feeling, missing balls I shouldn’t have missed, hitting balls softer than I remember. I’m trying to tell myself, ‘It’s good, you’re doing great. Just get through this and keep pushing,’ it’s really draining mentally. I hear inside myself screaming ‘what the hell is going on?!?!’ ”
The mother of 13-month-old daughter Shai says she compares how she feels right now to being “postpartum.”
Naomi Osaka thanks fans for their ‘patience’ as she prepares to return to tennis
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“It scares me because I’ve been playing tennis since I was 3, the tennis racket should be like an extension of my arm,” Osaka continued. “I don’t understand why everything has to seem almost new again. This should be as easy as breathing for me, but it isn’t and I really didn’t give myself any grace for that fact until recently.”
Yet as he continues his comeback following the birth of his daughter in July 2023 — which began with a first-round finish at the Australian Open before two second-round finishes at the French Open and Wimbledon, as well as an early knockout at the Paris Summer Olympics — the four-time Grand Slam winner all it puts it into perspective.
“During this time, I asked myself what I wanted out of this whole experience, and I realized something,” Osaka wrote. “I love the process (even though sometimes the process doesn’t love me haha), working everyday and finally having the opportunity to get where you want to be. I know life is not guaranteed so I want to do the best I can with the time I have, I want to teach my daughter that she can achieve so much with hard work and perseverance. I want her to aim for the stars and never think her dreams are too big.”
Naomi Osaka January 1, 2024
Chris Hyde/Getty
Naomi Osaka says she is ‘really excited’ to return to tennis next month in Australia
For the two-time US Open winner, her current goal is to get back together and play at Flushing Meadows in Queens, NY later this month.
“Nothing in life is promised, but I realized that I can promise myself that I will work as hard as I can and give my best until the very end,” said the tennis star.
Osaka then added: “See you in New York ❤️”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education