Naomi Osaka Falls to Angelique Kerber in Paris Olympics 2024 First Round
Naomi Osaka was defeated by Angelique Kerber with a score of 7-5, 6-3 in the first round in a surprising turn of events at the Paris Olympics 2024.
Osaka maintained optimism about her tennis career despite the setback, hoping to revert to the dominant form that saw her take home four Grand Slam trophies and hold the top spot.
German competitor Kerber, who won a silver medal in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, has announced her retirement from competition.
After falling to Angelique Kerber 7-5, 6-3 in the opening round of the Paris Olympics on Saturday, Naomi Osaka grinned and spoke to reporters. She was disappointed with the outcome but optimistic that she would one day regain her position as the top player and four-time Grand Slam champion.
“I suppose I need retrain myself to be victorious. Perhaps I just forgot how to do that,” Osaka remarked. “Perhaps I need to keep playing against really skilled players in order to relearn that.”
She was hoping for a stronger performance than her home country of Japan had seen at the Tokyo Olympics three years prior. At the opening ceremony, she was meant to be one of the great headliners and was given the privilege of igniting the cauldron.
Osaka claimed she felt pressured to perform well in front of her local supporters after losing in the third round there. Osaka was born in Japan to a Haitian father and a Japanese mother. The family immigrated to the US when Osaka was three years old.
Tokyo put greater pressure on me, Osaka, 26, admitted. “To be honest, I thought I could have performed better today.”
German competitor Kerber, who won a silver medal in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, has announced her retirement from competition.
It means a lot to win a match like this against Naomi, a fantastic champion, especially because it’s my last competition. I can still defeat the best players, it proves to me,” remarked Kerber. “I just made an effort to savor each second. All I can think about is getting ready for another dance.
Osaka became the highest-paid female athlete in history a few years ago after rising to the pinnacle of tennis. She won two titles apiece at the US Open and Australian Open between 2018 and 2021.
Osaka first disclosed she had been struggling with anxiety and depression and had started to take frequent pauses for her mental health during the 2021 French Open, which was held at the same venue as the tennis action at the Olympics in Paris. She was one of the first well-known athletes to discuss those subjects in public, and she and other Olympians Simone Biles and Michael Phelps contributed to their becoming national issues of discussion.
After becoming pregnant, Osaka departed the tour; her daughter was delivered in July 2023. She played in her first Grand Slam tournament again in the Australian Open in January. A few months later, at the French Open, she held a match point and forced eventual champion Iga Swiatek to three sets, showing that she was back to her best tennis.
Also Read: Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal Triumph in Paris Olympic 2024 Doubles Debut
However, clay has never been Osaka’s strongest surface, primarily because it lessens the impact of her greatest shots, which are her serve and forehand, on opponents.
“I think I could have served much better. I had the same feeling when I was practicing,” Osaka remarked. “But in my opinion, that’s never a justification for losing.”
Osaka’s shots were off target against Kerber. Compared to Kerber’s eleven unforced errors, she made nearly three times as many in the end. Osaka also lost four of her own service games, although she just once broke Kerber.
The 36-year-old Kerber isn’t exactly a clay enthusiast either—this was the only significant match she lost.
In 2016, Kerber won titles at the Australian and US Opens. In 2018, she triumphed at Wimbledon, when she faced off against Serena Williams twice. In Paris, Kerber has never advanced past the quarterfinals.
