HIGHLIGHTS

• Naomi Osaka lost to teenager Leylah in the 3rd round at US Open 2021
• Osaka smashed her racket in an uncharacteristic display of frustration
• Osaka said she has been dealing with mental health issues

Tennis star Naomi Osaka said on Saturday that she intends to take a break from tennis and that she is not sure when her next competitive match will be after suffering an early exit at US Open 2021.

Defending champion Naomi Osaka lost the women’s singles third-round match to 18-year-old Leylah Fernandez of Canada in a 3-set battle 5-7 7-6(2) 6-4. Osaka was heading towards a straight set victory after taking the first set 7-5 but she uncharacteristically lost her cool in the 2nd set tie-break. Osaka was broken early in the 3rd set and Leylah showcased tremendous composure to see of the 3rd seed.

Playing her first Grand Slam since withdrawing from this year’s French Open due to mental health issues, Osaka looked jaded during her third-round defeat.

Osaka broke down in the press conference while revealing that she is not feeling good after the early exit at the season’s final Grand Slam.

“I feel like I’m kind of at this point where I’m trying to figure out what I want to do. Honestly, I don’t know when I’m going to play my next tennis match,” Osaka said.

“I think I’m going to take a break from playing for a while.”

I don’t feel happy when I win: Osaka

Osaka elaborated on her mental state, saying she was not feeling excited about her victories and that she feels it’s not normal.

“How do I go around saying this? I feel like for me recently, like, when I win I don’t feel happy. I feel more like a relief. And then when I lose, I feel very sad,” Osaka said.

“I don’t think that’s normal.”

In an uncharacteristic display of frustration, Osaka whacked her racquet and then flung it onto the court twice in frustration as Fernandez scored five straight points in the tiebreak, in a series of superb play.

Osaka did not receive a warning or a code violation and left the court between sets, later telling reporters she struggled to contain her emotions.

“I’m really sorry about that. I was telling myself to be calm, but I feel like maybe there was a boiling point,” she added.

Meanwhile, Canada’s Leylah, who was at her confident best, will face Angelique Kerber in the fourth round match of women’s singles at US Open 2021.