“It’s like a dramatic word, but I feel like my heart dies every time I lose,” said a dejected Naomi Osaka last season after crashing out of the US Open following her second-round defeat against Karolina Muchova. Due to injuries, especially the persistent abdominal strain issues, the former World No.1 hasn’t been able to deliver her best on the court in the last few months. And just when she was looking to get back to winning ways in Miami, the four-time Slam champion faced another heartbreaking result this week. The Japanese star is out of the WTA 1000 event in Miami. But guess what? She’s not busy mourning her loss this time. Rather, the Japanese ace is feeling extremely blessed.
Osaka entered Miami after her disappointing run in Indian Wells. She was ousted in the first round against Camila Osorio. However, she turned the tables in Florida with a sensational comeback. After taking down Ukraine’s Yuliia Starodubtseva in the opener, she won two successive matches, defeating Liudmila Samsonova and then Hailey Baptiste in R64 and R32 respectively.
Sadly, her glorious run came to an end on Monday. Italy’s Jasmine Paolini ousted her with a score line of 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the fourth round. But Osaka is content with her experience in Miami. On Instagram, she shared a post, dated March 25, while revealing the reason.
She wrote, “Miami I love you so much thank you for the energy and the memories, I’ll be back sooner than you think ” Osaka’s experience in Miami was filled with amazing moments. Be it the Haitian fans cheering her or her mother Tamaki Osaka being present in the stands and watching her play. Plus, her daughter Shai was also in Florida, thus completing the trio. With so much going for her, how could she not feel blessed and happy?
Meanwhile, this edition of the Miami Open marked Osaka’s third-best run in the event. Previously, she was able to reach the QF in 2021 and then the final in 2022. While she maybe out of Florida, the determination to prove herself remains intact. And she’s targeting bigger goals in 2025. How about winning a fifth Slam? Yes, please!
Naomi Osaka eyes her fifth Major trophy in the 2025 season
Naomi Osaka hasn’t had the kind of results this season that she was expecting. While she began the year on a good note, the journey turned sour very soon. Back in January, she succeeded in reaching the ASB Classic final. However, the abdominal injury forced her to withdraw from the championship match against Clara Tauson.
Then at the Australian Open, the story remained unchanged. Due to her abdominal strain, she had to walk out of the court in the third round against Belinda Bencic.
After more than a month of recovery break, Osaka came back but failed in the Indian Wells before crashing out of Miami as well. However, the Japanese star is looking to find the winning momentum very soon. But what are her goals for the season?
In a pre-event interview with CNN, Osaka revealed, “I have a lot of goals going forward. For as long as I can play, I really want to win Wimbledon and Roland Garros (the French Open) and get a career grand slam.”
So there you have it. The four-time major winner has her intentions cleared. But will she be able to make it happen? Only time will tell.
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