Naomi Osaka Speaks To Reporters After Olympics Loss, Admits Pressure ‘A Bit Much’

Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka made headlines everywhere after she withdrew from the French Open in June, citing anxiety and mental health.

Osaka had declined to speak with reporters earlier in the tournament, and received some backlash for how she handled the event.

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After taking some time off, Naomi Osaka was participating for the host team, Japan, for the Tokyo Olympics. On Tuesday, Naomi was eliminated in the third round by Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic in straight sets.

After the match, Osaka took the time to speak with reporters. And she admitted that she was feeling the pressure a little too much out there.

“I definitely feel like there was a lot of pressure for this,” Naomi Osaka said via the NY Post. “I think it’s maybe because I haven’t played in the Olympics before and for the first year (it) was a bit much.”

“I feel like my attitude wasn’t that great because I don’t really know how to cope with that pressure, so that’s the best that I could have done in this situation.”

Prior to her media boycott, the 23-year-old Naomi Osaka had been considered on of the brightest young stars in the tennis world.

While her on-court prowess has teetered off a bit, Osaka remains as relevant as ever, and even landed as one of the cover athletes on Sports Illustrated “Swimsuit Edition” recently.

The future is still very bright for Naomi Osaka, but it would appear that she still needs a little more time to work through whatever she might be going through.

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