"What Naomi Osaka has done the last couple of years is amazing; her authenticity is really fresh for the tour" - Amanda Anisimova
Amanda Anisimova put an end to Naomi Osaka's dreams of becoming the first female player to defend a Grand Slam title in the last five years. But that did not stop the American from praising everything Osaka has done for the game.
Anisimova pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the 2022 Australian Open, beating Osaka 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(5) in a contest that lasted two hours and 15 minutes. The win means that Anisimova is unbeaten so far in 2022, having won her last eight matches on the trot.
The champ is out!
Amanda Anisimova saves 2 match points and beats the defending champion Naomi Osaka 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(10-5) to reach the last 16 against #1 Ash Barty.
Anisimova now 8-0 in 2022. https://t.co/8eypRDHED4
Speaking at her press conference after the third-round win, the 20-year-old hailed Osaka for opening up about her struggles with mental health, lauding her authenticity and honesty as "inspiring."
"What Naomi Osaka has done the last couple of years is amazing. She's just great, really fresh for the tour," Anisimova said. "She just tells the truth about how she feels. She spoke about her mental health the last couple of years. It's really inspiring, just how authentic she is and just the way that she talks about things and how honest she is."
Osaka made waves in the tennis world by saying that she would not attend press conferences at the 2021 French Open. She felt they were taking a toll on her mental health and eventually withdrew from the tournament.
Following the US Open, the 24-year-old took a break from the game after disclosing that she did not enjoy playing tennis anymore. The 2022 Australian swing marked her return to the game after months of absence.
Anisimova remarked that the four-time Major champion had a really difficult 2021, which combined with the expectations of being the defending champion, would not have been easy to handle.
"I know she's gone through a really tough year last year, so I kind of feel for her today. I know it's not easy, especially just being the defending champion," Anisimova said. "I kind of feel bad [for beating her]."
Anisimova also commented on the strategy she employed to beat Osaka, noting that the goal was to match the Japanese's aggression. The American credited her serve for paving the way for her eventual victory since Osaka was the more aggressive player for large portions of the match.
"It was really cool to finally play against Osaka today. She has a really big game, so I knew that I really had to step it up and try to be as aggressive as I could," Anisimova said. "I don't know if I did that so well today, because in most of the moments I feel like she was more aggressive. I think my serve is what really helped me today."
The World No. 60 now squares off against World No. 1 Asheligh Barty in the fourth round, who is yet to lose a set at the Australian Open so far. Like Anisimova, Barty is also unbeaten in 2022, having won her last seven matches on the trot.
Naomi Osaka's loss at Australian Open has dealt a huge blow to her ranking
Since Naomi Osaka was the reigning champion, she was defending 2,000 ranking points at the 2022 Australian Open. Her third-round exit means she will be losing 1,870 points at the end of this cycle, leading to a massive drop in her WTA ranking.
Naomi Osaka, who didn't play much tennis after winning the Australian Open in 2021, will drop to outside the top 80 (!) after the this tournament.
Gotta build her ranking again from zero.
The 24-year-old is expected to fall to as low as 84th in the world, her worst ranking since 2016. Osaka has been in the top 20 since 2018, the same year she won her first Grand Slam at the US Open.