NEW YORK – While Naomi Osaka has become a global advocate for athlete mental health, she is widely known for her composure and poise on the court. That was not the case on Friday night when she lost to Leylah Fernandez, 18, 5-7, 7-6, 6-4.
In the first set, Osaka looked balanced, confident and aggressive. But things quickly started to fall apart for her towards the end of the second set, when No.73 Fernandez recovered from 0-40 to 40-40, hitting a backhand winner to send him into a tie-break. . Osaka made a litany of unforced errors in the tie-break and quickly sank into a big hole.
She hit a forehand to go down 0-3, and leaned over and let out a cry of agony. After losing 0-4, she threw down her racquet in frustration, but received no warnings or code violations. Down from 0 to 5, after another unforced error, she slammed her racquet again and, again, received no warnings or code violations.
She lost the tie-break, 2-7, after making five unforced errors, and gave one final scream before leaving the field, a towel covering her head. She stayed in a small bathroom near the courthouse for a few minutes before returning.
Osaka left the field immediately after the game.
She broke onto the national tennis scene in Flushing Meadows when she beat Serena Williams in 2018 for the title. She added another Open crown in 2020 and also won the 2020 and 2021 Australian Open.
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She withdrew from this summer’s French Open after just one match after receiving backlash for not attending post-match press conferences, a move she announced ahead of the start of the Grand Slam.
Osaka later revealed that she has been battling depression since the 2018 US Open.
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