Naomi Osaka shared some insight into what happened with her team following her exit from the Canadian Open.
After a long and gruelling clay and grass court season, the 27-year-old is back on her beloved hard courts as she gears up for the US Open.
She entered the WTA 1000 in Toronto looking to build some momentum but Osaka suffered an early exit from Toronto courtesy of Elise Mertens.
Naomi Osaka is still searching for her best form since making a comeback at the start of the season following more than a year out, and she still has time before she reaches Flushing Meadows.
What happened between Naomi Osaka and her team after her Canadian Open exit?
Osaka was rather erratic against Mertens as she struggled to find her range and could not neutralise the Belgian’s consistency.
She committed multiple unforced errors from the baseline and she lamented being unable to play her natural game against the World number 35.
Osaka suffered a 6-3, 6-4 defeat and during her post-match press conference she revealed a talk with her team which is helping her to move forward in a positive manner.
“I felt like I ran out of time. If we played another set maybe it would have been mine,” Osaka said. “I feel like I have not played that many matches this year while also playing the most amount of tournaments I have ever played in my life.
“I think I am figuring things out constantly. I had a really long talk with my team just now and everyone is pretty positive. I am pretty happy with how much I fought today even though I didn’t win but I felt like I definitely learnt a lot.”
Where is Naomi Osaka playing next?
Following her exit from the Canadian Open, Osaka will enter the Cincinnati Open. “I’m playing Cinci and I guess there’s then no other tournament,” she told reporters in her post-match press conference.
This is likely to be her last tournament before travelling to New York to try and win the US Open for the third time.
In 2020, Osaka reached the Cincinnati Open final. That year it was played at the US Open tennis complex due to the coronavirus pandemic.
However, the Japanese player pulled out before the final against Victoria Azarenka, before beating in the US Open final the following month.
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