“Honestly, I don’t feel sad. It’s really weird. Well it’s not weird because I just feel like I did the best that I could,” Naomi Osaka confessed after falling to Amanda Anisimova at Flushing Meadows, the stage where she once reigned twice. The Japanese warrior, now under the guidance of Tomasz Wiktorowski after parting ways with Patrick Mouratoglou, has reignited her grit and hunger to reclaim the glory that once defined her: four hard-court Grand Slams and a comeback long overdue. Yet, the Asian swing struck hard: early exits in Wuhan and Beijing testing her fire. Still, as Japan calls her name, Osaka rises again, breaking down yet standing tall after a painful Japan Open triumph fought bravely on one leg.

No. 1 seed Naomi Osaka faced a storm and still stood tall. In her R16 clash at the WTA 250 at Kinoshita Group Japan Open, Osaka, she fought through pain and pressure to outlast world No. 57 and defending champion, Suzan Lamens, 7-6 (6), 3-6, 6-2. It was a match that tested her limits: physically and mentally, yet the Japanese icon turned it into a story of grit and redemption.

The opening set felt like a wild ride. Osaka sprinted to a 2-0 lead before Lamens fired back, taking five of the next six games to go up 5-3. Refusing to surrender, Osaka clawed back, saving the set with defiant strokes and fierce composure. She missed three set points in the 12th game but finally struck gold, sealing the first-set tiebreak with her fifth opportunity, a moment that roared like a heartbeat.

But Lamens refused to fade quietly. She broke early in the second set and guarded her serve with ice-cold precision, leveling the match with a 6-3 statement. The tension thickened, yet Osaka’s resolve didn’t waver. With fierce intent, she blazed through the third set, storming to a 5-0 lead: until the twist came.

Midway through the sixth game, Osaka winced, stopped, and called for a medical timeout. Her left thigh was strapped, her rhythm broken, but her spirit unshaken. Despite losing the next two games and squandering two match points, she summoned every ounce of willpower to break Lamens one final time. When victory arrived, it came with tears: raw, real, and deeply human. Naomi Osaka, broken yet unbowed, had conquered again.

“It was definitely really difficult — I’m kind of sorry about my attitude,” Osaka admitted during an on-court interview, cut short as pain rippled through her leg.

Now into the last eight, the Japanese warrior prepares to face Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian, who stunned eighth seed Jessica Bouzas Maneiro. A fierce battle awaits, and Osaka will fight it with a bandaged leg and a burning heart.

Yet beyond this week’s war lies a grander vision. Naomi Osaka isn’t just chasing wins; she’s shaping an audacious 2026 comeback.

Naomi Osaka reveals mental battles while chasing her 2025 goals

2025 has been nothing short of a storm for Naomi Osaka, a year of rediscovery, resilience, and raw emotion. After a two-year hiatus, during which she embraced the beauty and challenges of motherhood, the Japanese superstar stepped back onto the court, determined to reclaim her throne. But the road back to glory has been anything but easy.

Starting the season just outside the top 50, Osaka pushed herself through rust and doubt, her racket searching for rhythm and her mind for calm. The four-time Grand Slam queen stumbled early, but once she found her stride, the world was reminded of her power. Over the past three months, she’s carved an inspiring path, highlighted by spirited runs in Montreal and at the US Open.

As the 2025 season nears its close, Osaka, now ranked No.16, stands on the brink of the top 10, the goal she set for herself at the year’s start. Yet that dream, she admits, weighs heavily. “That’s kind of the tough part that I was dealing with today,” she told Tennis365 on October 7.

“I want to end the year in the top 10, but I don’t want to stress myself out too much about it,” she confessed, her voice carrying the honesty of a fighter still finding her balance.

Reflecting on her New York campaign, she added, “During the US swing, when I had a good run, I wasn’t really thinking about rankings, other than, like, getting seated in this land.” Even so, she hasn’t yet captured another major title since her return. “Mentally, it was just really tough for me today,” she admitted after reaching R32 in Wuhan.

Still, Osaka’s perspective remains anchored in growth. “It’s all a part of the season that’s just tough, you know. I think I’m, like, really happy to have gotten through it, and I think it’ll be easier from now on.”

Now, fresh off a marvelous performance at the WTA 250 in front of her home crowd, Japan waits with bated breath. 

Can Naomi Osaka, fierce, focused, and fighting on one leg, conquer the hard task once again?