Naomi Osaka responds when asked how close she came to retiring from tennis when she was really struggling

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Naomi Osaka has faced some serious struggles this year before her run to the US Open quarterfinals.

Osaka split with coach Patrick Mouratoglou after Wimbledon, having failed to reach the fourth round of a major tournament since winning the 2021 Australian Open.

However, since then she has shown signs of improved form, with Osaka now working with Tomasz Wiktorowski, who is the former coach of Iga Swiatek.

After her latest victory over Coco Gauff, Osaka has been predicted to win the US Open, but she has also been asked if retirement was ever something she considered before her recent resurgence.

Naomi Osaka reveals if she ever came close to retiring before the US Open

Osaka beat Gauff, 6-3 6-2, to reach her fifth Grand Slam quarterfinal, having gone on to win the title every other time she has done this.

This form has not always been shown by Osaka since returning after giving birth to her first child, as she is yet to win a title on the main WTA Tour since then.

Despite her struggles to reach her previous form, Osaka responded to a question in her press conference by insisting that retirement was never something she considered.

“Honestly not close at all,” said Osaka. “I don’t know if that means I like pain or something! It’s one thing to say it, but I think to actually do it and hang up my racket permanently would be a very scary thing.

“I have been playing this sport since I was three. I tell people that it’s like breathing air to me. I wouldn’t really know what to do.

“Granted, I am really grateful to be here now and the thought of not playing any time soon is something that hasn’t crossed my mind.”

Naomi Osaka explains why she has ‘silent confidence’ about her game at the moment

Osaka only needed to hit 10 winners past Gauff, who gave away a costly 33 unforced errors.

While a lot of the conversation has been around Gauff’s flaws, Osaka has also suggested she is now being more patient which is causing her opponents to make more errors.

“I think physically in my head I know that I’m capable of rallying a lot, so I don’t overplay,” said Osaka.

“I kind of am OK with just waiting. Granted, I’m not a defensive player, so it’s not like I’m trying to move side-to-side, but it’s more like the silent confidence of understanding that I don’t need to hit a winner at all times.”

Osaka will hope this continues in her quarterfinal match, where she will play former Roland Garros finalist Karolina Muchova.

This will be a fifth meeting between Osaka and Muchova, with both players winning two matches apiece.

Muchova won their match at the US Open last year, but Osaka claimed victory in their most recent meeting that came at this year’s Australian Open.