Naomi Osaka kept a positive outlook after her US Open semi-final exit, but she didn’t shy away from pointing out what went wrong during the match.
Even with her composed appearance in the press conference, it’s only natural she’d have some critical thoughts about how things played out.
She took the first set by winning a tight tiebreak and was close to repeating that in the second, which would have sealed her place in the final.
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But Amanda Anisimova turned things around, taking control of the third set and ending Osaka’s run at Flushing Meadows.
There were several factors behind her defeat, and Osaka addressed one of them when speaking to reporters after the match.
Naomi Osaka reflects on the ‘unfortunate’ moment that stood out in her loss to Amanda Anisimova
She was asked by reporters what she thought might have contributed to the shift in momentum during the match, and how things got away from her after a strong start.
Osaka replied: “It’s kind of hard to say.
“I think, you know, you can kind of only live and learn. And for me, obviously, I didn’t remember it until you said it, so now I’m thinking about it, but, yeah, I mean, I went to that match knowing she’s one of the best returners in the world.
“And obviously I feel like I’m one of the best servers, so it’s a little unfortunate.
“But also um..I can’t really say I’ve played like many matches in the semis of Slam since I’ve been back. I would say she does have a little bit under her belt more than me. So yeah hopefully I can be in this position one more time and see if I learn something.”
The post-US Open period provides an opportunity for Osaka to recalibrate and refocus on new objectives as she looks ahead to future competitions. Despite falling short at Flushing Meadows, she remains determined to make further progress.
Naomi Osaka makes her first Grand Slam semi-final appearance in over four years
Losing just before reaching the final will sting quite a bit. But looking at how Osaka has struggled these past few years with injury troubles and mental health issues – just making it this far is already an incredible feat.
This was actually her first major semi-final since winning the 2021 Australian Open over four years ago.
Yes, there was a year off during that period due to pregnancy. But there were also plenty of poor results – including four first-round exits and several other early defeats too.
This tournament really feels like the first time in many years where Osaka seemed ready to regularly return to prominence in women’s tennis. And jumping up to 14th place now on world rankings solidifies that feeling too.
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