Naomi Osaka – “Last Year I Won The US Open, And This Year I’m Trying To Play The US Open”

The Japanese tennis sensation, Naomi Osaka has been dealing with a dreadful time on the WTA circuit since she turned World Number one after her Australian Open 2019 victory. Today, despite producing some decent tennis, she was forced to retire from her quarterfinal match against Sofia Kenin due to her knee injury. Osaka’s today’s injury might hinder her participation at the US Open 2019, where she is the defending champion. 

“The thing is, my pain tolerance is really high,” Naomi Osaka said. “So that’s usually why I play through things that apparently I shouldn’t. So I really don’t know what’s going on with my leg right now. I was asking the physio if it was safe to play because I really hate withdrawing.”

Today, the 21-year-old, Naomi Osaka was serving well and also her return games were better than Kenin, but destined to a hapless fate, her retirement from the quarterfinal match dropped in. Like every other player, she was disappointed about leaving the court with an unfinished encounter. 

“I feel like we were playing such a great match, too. It’s not fair to her to just withdraw, because I feel like I’m bowing out. Then I was asking the physio if she thinks it’s safe to play. Then I went out there. I wanted to finish the set. But I felt it wasn’t safe,” she continued.

She is apprehensive about her knee injury and stressed out about her appearance at the upcoming Grand Slam event in New York. Naomi Osaka will not abide by her doctor’s prescription if her doctor asks her to miss the tournament at Flushing Meadows. 

“It sucks. Especially since I didn’t want to get injured this close to the Open. And now I’m kind of worried a little bit. She was playing well. I had to really think about what I had to do during the match, so I’m not that mad at the result. The injured part sucks, but losing, it’s not that big of a deal,” she added.

“Last year I won the US Open, and this year I’m trying to play the US Open,” Osaka said. “I don’t even really think about winning the tournament. I just want to have the chance to play it, you know? I feel like this [injury] might have that 1% chance of me not being able to play, and that’s what’s concerning me. In the end, I’m going to play even if the doctor says no, probably,” Osaka concluded. 

Prior to this season, Naomi Osaka never won a main draw in Cincinnati and at Western & Southern Open 2019 she made it to the quarters. She is yet to reach a WTA final since her title win in Australia.