The Japanese and WTA’s No 2 tennis player Naomi Osaka said that she felt ungrateful about her approach to tennis over the past year and that playing tennis on the world’s biggest stage felt like not that big of an accomplishment for her. The 23-year-old pulled out of the French Open and Wimbledon in the past year, but she returned to her native Japan for the Tokyo Olympics where she lit the flame at the opening ceremony. However, Osaka’s Olympics did not go as planned as she lost in the third round of the women’s Olympic’s singles competition.
When reflecting on the events in the past year Osaka said that this situation with Covid has really taken a toll on her and her mindset has changed since pulling out of Roland Garros as well as Wimbledon.
Now, the second-best player in the world has qualified for the third round at the WTA Cincinnati tournament, after defeating American young talent Coco Gauff with 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. In the quarter-final, the Japanese player will go against the Swiss player Jil Belen Teichmann.
Andy Murray knocked out of ATP Cincinnati
After beating Richard Gasquet in the opening round, the Brit was unable to find the same momentum against Hurkacz. The 24-year-old Pole was able to beat the former No 1 tennis player in two straight sets with 7-6 (6-4) 6-3.