Naomi Osaka’s Wimbledon journey came to an abrupt end on Wednesday, with the Japanese superstar falling to American teenager Emma Navarro in the second round. The four-time Grand Slam champion, making her return to the All England Club after a four-year absence, suffered a 6-4, 6-1 defeat on Centre Court, lasting less than an hour.
Osaka admitted to struggling with confidence during the match, attributing her loss to self-doubt creeping into her game. Despite a close start, she was unable to maintain momentum, allowing Navarro to seize control and clinch the first set. The second set proved even more challenging, with Navarro breaking Osaka’s serve twice to establish a commanding 4-0 lead, ultimately securing victory in decisive fashion.
This defeat marked a swift end to Osaka’s Wimbledon campaign, following her first-round win over Diane Parry on Monday. Currently ranked 113th in the world, Osaka’s focus has now shifted to the upcoming Paris Olympics. With the Games starting later this month, Osaka has declared it a priority, aiming to improve on her third-round finish in the Tokyo Olympics held in 2021.
The Paris tennis tournament will take place on the clay courts of Roland Garros, a surface Osaka feels confident about, drawing on her close encounter with world number one Iga Swiatek in the recent French Open. She is determined to make a strong showing at the Olympics, leveraging her experience from the French Open.
“Since I’m out so early, I really want to take the time and train for the Olympics because I do want to do well,” Osaka stated. “I do know that my last clay court match was really good. So I might end up liking that surface a lot more than grass now. “As far as the schedule, I don’t really know too much yet. I think I’m just going to go home and, I guess, see what Shai is doing and then plan from there.”
