Emotional farewell to US Open: Osaka announces break

In an emotional press conference in which she visibly struggled to keep her composure, the 23-year-old Japanese woman gave deep insights into her inner life on Friday evening (local time). She ended the appearance in front of media representatives in New York with the words: "I think I'm going to take a break from playing for a while." A good three months ago, Osaka made it public that she was suffering from periods of depression. After withdrawing from the French Open, she took a break until the Olympic Games in Tokyo, where, as a local hero, she was eliminated disappointingly early in the round of 16. The athlete, who grew up in the USA, admitted on Friday in New York that victories would no longer make her happy. “It feels more like a relief. And then when I lose, I'm very sad. I don’t think that’s normal.” Osaka then talked about her future plans. “I feel like I'm at this point where I'm trying to figure out what I want to do. And I honestly don’t know when I’ll play my next tennis match.” Eliminated in the 3rd round At the last Grand Slam tournament of the year, the co-favorite was already eliminated in the third round. She lost to the 18-year-old Canadian Leylah Fernandez – number 73 in the world rankings – 7:5, 6:7 (2:7) and 4:6. Osaka seemed nervous, made a number of careless mistakes and sometimes let her frustration run wild. In the third set she even threw her racket onto the hard court several times and crept across the facility in Flushing Meadows with her head bowed. Osaka later said at the press conference that she tried in vain to remain calm. "Normally I like challenges, but lately I've been feeling very insecure when things aren't going well for me, and I feel like you can feel that too." On the pitch she felt "like a little child" behave. ade

Football

Italy

International leagues

International

Winter sports

Tennis

Other sports

Motorsport

Cycling

Watersports

Events

Favorites

Emotional farewell to US Open: Osaka announces break

After her surprisingly early exit from the US Open, world number three Naomi Osaka has announced a break from tennis - and left the date of her return to the tour open.

Suggestions

Comments (0)