Naomi Osaka’s grass-court struggles continued with a third-round Wimbledon exit against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. She took a set but lost in three. After the match, Osaka was brutally honest: “I’m just going to be a negative human being today. I’m so sorry. I have nothing positive to say about myself, which is something I’m working on.” Her frustration follows a first-round Roland Garros loss weeks earlier. After these back-to-back setbacks on tennis’s biggest stages, she seems ready to speak her mind.

The four-time Grand Slam champion has faced a tough road since returning from maternity leave in January. While she reached the ASB Classic final this year, she’s struggled otherwise, often falling before the later rounds. She did win a WTA 125 title in Saint Malo, but Grand Slams haven’t brought much success. Now, she shared a heartfelt note about a conversation she had with her father, Leonard Francois, about life.

She shared, “He had told me how at 59 years old he feels closer to the end of his life than the beginning, and it’s made him want to enjoy and treasure the years he has left. He told me he finds this interesting because he thinks my tennis career is potentially similar.” At first, the 27-year-old admitted it didn’t quite make sense. But after some reflection, it started to click. Having been on tour since she was 16, tennis has become a huge part of her life.

“After a couple days, a realization suddenly hit me. I’ve been playing tennis since I was 3, playing professionally since I was 14, and I’m 27 now. I’ve lived almost my entire life playing this sport, and I guess it’s true, I am closer to the end than the beginning,” she added.

Naomi Osaka’s breakthrough came at the 2018 US Open, where she defeated her idol Serena Williams in a widely watched final. She followed that with a 2019 Australian Open win over Petra Kvitova. These back-to-back majors pushed her to World No. 1 on January 28, 2019—the first Asian player to reach that spot. She kept dominating hard courts, winning her third US Open title in 2020 against Victoria Azarenka and her fourth Grand Slam at the 2021 Australian Open over Jennifer Brady. Winning her first four Grand Slam finals puts her in elite company with Monica Seles and Roger Federer in the Open Era.

As she noted, “When I was younger my dream was to hold the US Open trophy. winning it seemed like a fairy tale so I just wanted the chance to hold it and look inside because my mom had told me a story about there being fairy dust at the bottom of the trophy. Miraculously. I have 2 of those trophies now.” But since last season, she’s struggled to make strides. And she didn’t shy away from naming her current priorities.

She added, “Somehow I let my expectations of myself and the expectations of others prevent me from enjoying the rest of my journey, no matter how long or short it may be. Writing this to make a promise with myself to enjoy the times and be at peace traveling and seeing my daughter reap the fruits of my labor.” Naomi has been vocal about this before!

She is often away from her daughter, Shai, born in July 2023, and Osaka has admitted the hardship of that distance. In her December 2024 Harper’s Bazaar feature, she said, “Freedom for me is being able to spend time with my daughter, to see joy in her eyes, and to know that, as long as I am there for her and a role model for her, then no other outside voice matters.” Isn’t that sweet?

Sure, she’s had a rough patch lately. While this might sound like a retirement hint, it’s not the first time the 27-year-old has hinted at stepping back!

Naomi Osaka hints at retirement ahead of the season

Osaka was all set to kick off her 2025 season at the ASB Classic in Auckland. The two-time Australian Open champ from 2019 and 2021 was ready to face Israel’s Lina Glushko in her opening match. Fans expected her to breeze through and climb the WTA rankings. But more than that, this event was a real test of how long Osaka planned to stick around. “I don’t think I’m the type of player that would hang around,” she revealed ahead of Brisbane, as reported by Stuff on December 29.

She didn’t hold back on her mindset: “I have a lot of respect for all the players on tour, but the point of my life that I’m at right now, if I’m not above a certain ranking, I don’t see myself playing for a while.” She explained why this matters so much: “I’d rather spend time with my daughter if I’m not where I think I should be and where I feel like I can be.” She didn’t specify the exact ranking, but motherhood has clearly changed her perspective.

Now that Naomi Osaka is out of Wimbledon and gearing up for her next tournament, will we see her back in action, possibly with a new fighting spirit? Share your take in the comments. In the meantime, follow the latest updates at Wimbledon through our Live Blog.