Naomi Osaka has revealed that she still doesn’t feel like herself on the track eight months after returning to the circuit following a maternity break. The four-time Grand Slam champion continues to confound his lack of power and accuracy.
The 26-year-old Japanese was beaten by Ashlyn Krueger in the second round of qualifying at the Cincinnati Open, a final setback before the final Grand Slam of the year, the US Open, from August 26 to September 8.
“My biggest problem is not the losses, but that I don’t feel right,” Osaka wrote on Instagram on Tuesday.
“It’s a weird feeling, I’m missing balls I shouldn’t miss, I’m not hitting as hard as I used to. I’m trying to tell myself, ‘Okay, you’re good. I’m trying to tell myself, ‘Okay , I’ you do it.’ You’re good, get over this game and move on.’
“Internally, I hear myself screaming, ‘What the hell is happening?!'”
Osaka returned to competition in January, in Brisbane, after a 15-month break during which she gave birth to her daughter. He is ranked 90th in the ranking, and his best results are the quarterfinals reached in Doha and ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
“I have played several matches this year where I felt myself and I know that this moment is probably just a small phase of all the new moves (clay, grass, clay, hard), however the only I feel like what I’m feeling now can be compared to being postpartum,” Osaka said.
“I’m afraid because I’ve been playing tennis since I was three years old, the racket should be like an extension of my hand.”
Osaka’s next event is at Flushing Meadows, where she has won in 2018 and 2020, but she says she can’t quite understand why everything feels “almost new” in her game again.
“It should be as simple as breathing for me, but it’s not,” he added. “Honestly, I never gave myself grace for that fact until now.”
Despite her struggles, Osaka said she loves going to work every day and “finally getting a chance to get where you want to be.”
Source: La Verdad
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