Naomi Osaka cites pressure in Olympic loss

TOKYO – It wasn’t the ending that Naomi Osaka — nor her multitudes of followers throughout Japan and worldwide — had anticipated.

The beginning of the Tokyo Olympics, nonetheless, will without end be a vivid reminiscence for the tennis celebrity.

Osaka herself mentioned after lighting the Olympic cauldron throughout final week’s opening ceremony that it was “undoubtedly the best athletic achievement and honor I’ll ever have in my life.”

So perhaps — simply perhaps — that may enable Osaka to deal with her sudden 6-1, 6-4 loss to former French Open finalist Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic within the third spherical of the Olympic tennis event on Tuesday.

Not instantly, although.

“I’m disillusioned in each loss, however I really feel like this one sucks greater than the others,” Osaka mentioned.

As a four-time Grand Slam champion, the highest-paid feminine athlete on the planet and the host nation’s poster lady for the Video games, the large expectations have been exhausting to deal with.

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“I positively really feel like there was a number of stress for this,” Osaka mentioned. “I believe it’s perhaps as a result of I haven’t performed within the Olympics earlier than and for the primary yr (it) was a bit a lot.”

The second-ranked Osaka, who was born in Japan and grew up in the USA, struggled along with her often dependable groundstrokes whereas the left-handed Vondrousova produced a sequence of drop-shot winners and different artful pictures that drew her opponent out of her consolation zone.

“It’s robust for her additionally enjoying in Japan and within the Olympics,” the Forty second-ranked Vondrousova mentioned. “It’s a lot stress, I can not think about.”

Osaka received her opening two matches in straight units following a two-month psychological well being break. However circumstances have been completely different Tuesday with the roof closed as a result of it was raining outdoors.

Osaka had talked earlier this week about how “pleased” she was to be enjoying once more. That got here after she introduced in Could going into the French Open that she wouldn’t converse to reporters at that event, saying these interactions create doubts for her.

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Then, after her first-round victory in Paris, she skipped the necessary information convention.

Osaka was fined $15,000 and — surprisingly — publicly reprimanded by these in command of Grand Slam tournaments, who mentioned she might be suspended if she saved avoiding the media.

The subsequent day, Osaka withdrew from Roland Garros totally to take a psychological well being break, revealing she has handled despair and anxiousness.

She sat out Wimbledon, too. So the Tokyo Video games marked her return to competitors.

“I’ve taken lengthy breaks earlier than and I’ve managed to do effectively,” mentioned Osaka, who initially didn’t remark after her loss, then got here again out and met with a small group of reporters. “I’m not saying that I did unhealthy proper now, however I do know that my expectations have been rather a lot greater.

“I really feel like my angle wasn’t that nice as a result of I don’t actually understand how to deal with that stress, in order that’s the very best that I may have finished on this scenario.”

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The day wasn’t a whole loss for Japan since Kei Nishikori, a bronze medalist in 2016, beat Marcos Giron of the USA 7-6 (5), 3-6, 6-1 to achieve the final 16.

Third-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece additionally defeated an American, Frances Tiafoe, 6-3, 6-4.

And Novak Djokovic added one other medal occasion to his program by getting into the blended doubles draw with Serbian companion Nina Stojanovic.

Tsitsipas can be entered in blended with Maria Sakkari, who misplaced to fourth-seeded Elina Svitolina of Ukraine in singles in three units.

Svitolina’s quarterfinal opponent will probably be Camila Giorgi of Italy, who defeated Wimbledon finalist Karolina Plisova.

Additionally reaching the final eight have been seventh-seeded Garbiñe Muguruza of Spain, No. 9 Belinda Bencic of Switzerland and No. 13 Anastasia Sergeyevna Pavlyuchenkova of ROC.

Vondrousova’s quarterfinal opponent will probably be Paula Badosa of Spain.

In different males’s matches, eighth-seeded Diego Schwartzman of Argentina, No. 12 Karen Khachanov of ROC and Jeremy Chardy of France superior.

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In doubles, Andy Murray and British companion Joe Salisbury reached the quarterfinals.

Murray, who was the two-time defending gold medalist in singles, withdrew from that competitors due to a proper quad pressure. He determined to play the doubles event to return a favor from Salisbury.

“Being within the high 10 on the planet (in doubles) he may choose his companion,” Murray mentioned. “I mentioned to Joe that if he picked me to play doubles with him then I’d prioritize the doubles over the singles if I had any bodily points and that was the case.”

Taking part in Osaka for the primary time, Vondrousova got here out along with her whole recreation clicking from the beginning and rapidly ran out to a 4-0 lead within the first set as Osaka hardly had time to settle in.

Osaka then broke Vondrousova’s serve within the opening recreation of the second set however nearly instantly handed the break again when she double-faulted to make it 2-2.

After Osaka misplaced her serve once more to finish the match by hitting a cross-court backhand vast, she shook palms with Vondrousova on the web, walked to her chair, zipped her racket up in her bag and adopted Vondrousova off the courtroom.

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But it surely wasn’t merely an off day for Osaka; it was additionally an excellent efficiency from Vondrousova.

“I additionally (beat) Simona (Halep) twice, however I believe now she (Osaka) is the best,” Vondrousova mentioned. “The best within the recreation, and he or she was additionally the face of the Olympics so it was robust for her, I believe, to play like this.”

Vondrousova has been benefitting from the power of the Czech crew. She’s rooming within the Olympic Village with Petra Kvitova, Karolina Pliskova and Barbora Krejcikova. It’s a quartet that has an accrued seven Grand Slam remaining appearances, three main titles, two spells as No. 1 and one Olympic medal (bronze for Kvitova in 2016).

“I talked with (the) women” earlier than enjoying Osaka, Vondrousova mentioned.

Throughout one level halfway by means of the second set, Vondrousova hit an underspin, scooped forehand strategy shot that landed proper on the road — prompting Osaka to stare on the line for a number of seconds in obvious disbelief.

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Osaka had break factors to take a 4-3 lead within the second, however Vondrousova hit consecutive drop-shot winners to get again within the recreation. After which held.

About 10 minutes later, the match was over.

“I simply actually believed the second I stepped on the courtroom,” Vondrousova mentioned. “I believe that that’s the primary factor.”

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Related Press reporter Syd Fryer contributed to this report.

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Extra AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2020-tokyo-olympics and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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Andrew Dampf is at https://twitter.com/AndrewDampf