"I gave birth to such an amazing human and I played the US Open?" - Naomi Osaka revels in joy despite early exit from New York slam
Naomi Osaka’s 2024 US Open campaign was cut short in the second round by Karolina Muchova. The Czech player dominated the match, winning in straight sets 6-3, 7-6(5).
The defeat was a disappointing outcome for the Japanese player, considering her previous success at the tournament. Osaka has won the US Open title twice before, in 2018 and 2020.
Osaka, however, has since, seemed to have put things in perspective. On social media, she shared her thoughts on her time in New York, revealing that she had initially drafted a message expressing disappointment but decided against sharing it.
The 26-year-old, who became a mother last year, said that spending time with her daughter Shai helped her realize that she should always be proud of herself, regardless of the outcome. Osaka expressed pride in her ability to return to the top level of the sport just a year after giving birth.
"Honestly I had typed out a whole caption about how I’m disappointed with myself etc but I’ve been sitting here playing with my daughter and I realized that I couldn’t be more proud of myself," Osaka wrote.
"I gave birth to such an amazing human and I played the US Open? A win is a win. Sure it didn’t work out this time but I have faith it will eventually. Thank you NY see you next time," she added.
Naomi Osaka's emotional week at the 2024 US Open
The 2024 US Open has been a rollercoaster of emotions for Naomi Osaka, who achieved a significant victory in her opening round against Jelena Ostapenko. This marked her first win over a top-10 seed in over two years.
Osaka previously shared a post explaining her emotional response to her victory over the 27--year-old Latvian. She expressed that being able to achieve such a significant result at home after overcoming immense pain was a major accomplishment. The post included a picture of her on crutches.
"I've been asked why I was so emotional yesterday and honestly if you don't even include coming back from pregnancy, New York being my home, etc, this was me a year ago. I legitimately couldn't walk without pain and I didn't know if I could play at a high intensity anymore. So yeah, this sport means a lot to me," Osaka had written.
While Osaka has not yet released her schedule for the remainder of the season, she is expected to participate in the Asian swing, which begins next month.