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Naomi Osaka says she still doesn’t feel like herself on court eight months into her return to action following maternity leave, with the four-time Grand Slam champion puzzled by her lack of power and accuracy.
The 26-year-old Japanese player was defeated by Ashlynn Kruger in the second round of qualifying at the Cincinnati Open, the latest setback in her poor form ahead of the U.S. Open, the final Grand Slam of the year, which runs from August 26 to September 8.
“My biggest problem right now is not the losses, but the fact that I no longer feel healthy,” Osaka wrote on Instagram on Tuesday.
“It was a weird feeling, I was missing shots I shouldn’t have missed and hitting shots softer than I remember. I was trying to tell myself, ‘It’s OK, you did a good job. Just get through this and keep working on it’, it was really mentally exhausting.
“I heard myself screaming, ‘What the hell is happening?!?!'”
Osaka returned to competition in January after a 15-month break following the birth of her daughter. She is currently ranked 90th in the world, with her best results being quarterfinals in Doha and ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
“I’ve played a few tournaments this year and it feels like I’ve found myself again. I know this moment may just be a small phase with all the new transitions (clay, grass, clay, hard), however, the only thing I can compare to the feeling now is postpartum,” Osaka said.
“It scares me because I’ve been playing tennis since I was three years old and the racket should feel like an extension of my hand.”
Osaka’s next match will be at Flushing Meadows, where she won in 2018 and 2020, but she said she didn’t understand why everything about her game felt “almost new.”
“For me it should be as easy as breathing, but it’s not,” she added.
“I never really forgave that fact until now.”
Despite the difficulties, Osaka said she enjoys working hard every day and “finally having the opportunity to achieve what I want to achieve.”
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