Osaka: 'My Intention Is To Win' Despite Wimbledon Quarter-Final Exit
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| Naomi Osaka out at Wimbledon, but says title drought won't last forever |
After beating Sabalenka then losing to Muchova at Wimbledon, Naomi Osaka says she still believes she can add to her 4 Grand Slam titles.
'Results don't show it' says Osaka, sjhe vows to keep chasing slams after Muchova defeat...
Naomi Osaka says she still believes she can add a fifth Grand Slam to her name, even after another chance slipped away with a Wimbledon quarter-final defeat on Tuesday.
The Japanese former world No.1 hasn’t won a major since the 2021 Australian Open. She gave herself hope of ending that five-year drought by beating world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka in the fourth round at the All England Club.
It was another tough exit late in a major for her, coming after her semi-final loss to Amanda Anisimova at last year’s US Open.
“I know my results don't show it, but whenever I play a Slam, my intention is to win,” Osaka said. She had never advanced past the third round at Wimbledon before this year.
“Obviously last year I got to the semis (at the US Open). I wanted so desperately to be in the final to have that opportunity, but Amanda played insane...
“This one is a little more upsetting to me because I feel like there was so much more I could have done.
“I think maybe I should find the positive in that because I've gotten to the quarters and I feel like I can still improve so much as a player.
“I feel like in my head I think there's still an opportunity to win a Slam.”
Between 2018 and 2021, Osaka won two Australian Opens and two US Opens and reached world No.1.
She later stepped away from tennis to focus on her mental health, and found it tough to rediscover her best level once she returned to the WTA Tour.
Osaka also sat out the entire 2023 season after welcoming her first child.
Now 28, it took her some time to work her way back up the rankings. But she’s closing in on her peak again, having also made the French Open last 16 for the first time last month.
“The tournament as a whole, it's the furthest I've gotten here,” added Osaka of her Wimbledon run.
“For me, that's a positive. Obviously I would have loved to get a lot farther.
“If I think about my match today, it's hard for me to immediately think of something positive.
“I feel like it's hard because I played so well in my last match, then today I just feel like I didn't play well at all and I didn't have any energy.
“I mean, the score was pretty good for what it was, I guess.
Next up for Osaka is the hard-court swing, where she’s won all seven of her WTA titles - including her four Grand Slams.
Osaka will now shift focus to the hard courts, the surface where she’s claimed all seven of her WTA trophies, four of them majors.
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