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After a U.S. Open loss, Naomi Osaka is weighing a break from tennis.
Naomi Osaka isn’t sure when she’ll play her next tennis match.
Following a third-round loss to Leylah Fernandez at the US Open on Friday (September 3rd), Osaka revealed that she will be taking a break from tennis because she found that the sport no longer brought her joy.
“I feel like for me recently, like, when I win, I don’t feel happy,” the 23-year-old said. “I feel more like a relief. And then when I lose, I feel very sad. I don’t think that’s normal.”
Elsa/Getty Images
She began to cry, prompting the moderator to try and end the conference before Osaka continued:
“Basically I feel like I’m kind of at this point where I’m trying to figure out what I want to do, and I honestly don’t know when I’m going to play my next tennis match. I think I’m going to take a break from playing for a while.”
It isn’t the first time that the pressure of being the sport’s biggest star has gotten to the athlete. Earlier in the year, Osaka dropped out of the French Open, citing her mental health. She’s previously revealed that she’s struggled with depression since her 2018 breakout year in which she won her first US Open tournament.
Her revelation was largely met with support from athletes in tennis and beyond.
“So proud of you,” Venus Williams penned at the time. “Take of yourself and see you back winning soon.”
After a U.S. Open loss, Naomi Osaka is weighing a break from tennis.
Naomi Osaka isn’t sure when she’ll play her next tennis match.
Following a third-round loss to Leylah Fernandez at the US Open on Friday (September 3rd), Osaka revealed that she will be taking a break from tennis because she found that the sport no longer brought her joy.
“I feel like for me recently, like, when I win, I don’t feel happy,” the 23-year-old said. “I feel more like a relief. And then when I lose, I feel very sad. I don’t think that’s normal.”
Elsa/Getty Images
She began to cry, prompting the moderator to try and end the conference before Osaka continued:
“Basically I feel like I’m kind of at this point where I’m trying to figure out what I want to do, and I honestly don’t know when I’m going to play my next tennis match. I think I’m going to take a break from playing for a while.”
It isn’t the first time that the pressure of being the sport’s biggest star has gotten to the athlete. Earlier in the year, Osaka dropped out of the French Open, citing her mental health. She’s previously revealed that she’s struggled with depression since her 2018 breakout year in which she won her first US Open tournament.
Her revelation was largely met with support from athletes in tennis and beyond.
“So proud of you,” Venus Williams penned at the time. “Take of yourself and see you back winning soon.”
