Naomi Osaka had high hopes for her match against Karolina Muchova at the 2024 US Open, but it proved to be a really upsetting contest because she lost in two sets.
Osaka started her US Open campaign with a brilliant win over Jelena Ostapenko. She hadn't been playing all too well in the weeks before, so it seemed that that match could be very problematic. She turned up and produced a wonderful level to win easily in two sets.
Fans hoped that she would also show up with that level in her next match because she would need it. The draw was less than kind to her this year, as she got Muchova in the second round. She's a Top-10-level talent, so that would never be an easy match.
It certainly wasn't because Muchova played extremely well. The first set was absolute brilliance from the former Roland Garros finalist. Osaka played well too, but she couldn't keep up as the opening set went on.
She wasted many chances at the start, and it came back to haunt her later on. She lost that opening set 3-6 but then battled well in the second, putting herself in a position to win the set.
She was up 5-4 and 40-0 but lost that game and then lost in a tie-break. The way it ended was heartbreaking, as she slammed an easy forehand wide.
After the match, Osaka was quite open about how painful the loss was because New York is her happy place. She has played some of her best tennis at Flushing Meadows, and losing in New York hurts her more than in other places.
"I feel I’m coming back from pregnancy but also it wasn’t like in 2022 I was the best version of myself. In some way, I had to catch up to that and also I’m trying to pass it as the same time."
"It’s been a little difficult. Obviously I can only gauge how I’m doing by results. I feel faster. I feel better. But I lost in the 2nd round so it’s a little rough."
Osaka showed plenty of positives at this event compared to weeks before. She's a far better player than earlier in the year, which bodes well for her chances late this year and next year.
She has embraced the process of getting back to her former self. She knew it would be tough, but the more she plays, the better it gets. In that sense, losses are helpful but still hurt her quite a bit. She takes every one of them personally.
"But also it’s been fun playing a lot of tournaments. It’s been a commitment for sure. I’ve been able to go to different cities that I hadn’t been to before… it’s tough because I take these losses personally."
"This is a dramatic word.. but I feel like my heart dies every time I lose. It sucks a lot. But I’ve been trying to be more mature and learn and talk more about them."
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