Naomi Osaka revealed she will consider taking time away from tennis following her Round 3 exit at the 2021 US Open.
Osaka, the defending US Open champion, dropped a 5-7, 7-6, 6-4 decision to 18-year-old Canadian Leylah Fernandez in a tense match in Arthur Ashe Stadium. During the match, the Japanese star received a code violation for ball abuse and was visibly frustrated after failing to serve out the second set.
Following the match, the four-time major champion talked to reporters and expressed remorse for her uncharacteristic behavior at that moment.
“I'm really sorry about that,” she said. “I'm not really sure why. Like, I felt like I was pretty─I was telling myself to be calm, but I feel like maybe there was a boiling point.
"Normally I feel like I like challenges. But recently I feel very anxious when things don't go my way, and I feel like you can feel that. I'm not really sure why it happens the way it happens now.”
Osaka’s loss drops her record to 18-6 on the season. But she has only played seven matches since June, when she withdrew from Roland Garros, citing mental-health reasons.
At the end of her press conference, Osaka took questions in Japanese and became emotional.
“I feel like for me recently, when I win I don't feel happy,” she said. “I feel more like a relief. And then when I lose, I feel very sad. I don't think that's normal."
Then she revealed that she is considering taking a break from the sport.
"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,” she concluded, as the press conference ended.
Watch the full English portion of the press conference below.
