Naomi Osaka reveals Grand Slam goal as ‘heart dies’ after US Open loss

Oli Dickson Jefford 30 Aug 2024 9:18 AM

Naomi Osaka in action at the 2024 US Open.

Naomi Osaka was beaten in round two of the US Open by Karolina Muchova.

Naomi Osaka revealed her “heart dies” after every loss as she set out her target of winning more Grand Slam titles despite her US Open exit.

Osaka impressed in her round one US Open match against 10th seed Jelena Ostapenko, dispatching the Latvian 6-3, 6-2 in arguably the best performance of her comeback.

However, she was unable to find that same magic on Thursday night against former French Open finalist Karolina Muchova.

The Japanese held three set points in the second set as she looked to force a decider, but was unable to take advantage as her Czech opponent claimed a 6-3, 7-6(5) victory to reach the third round.

Defeat means that Osaka has failed to make it past the second round of a major in her comeback year, holding a 3-4 record at Slam level.

The 26-year-old has committed to playing a fuller schedule in 2024 and revealed that the decision to play regular has had benefits, though conceded losses have taken their toll.

“It’s a little rough because I do take these losses really personally. It’s like a dramatic word, but I feel like my heart dies every time I lose,” said the former world No 1.

“I’ve been trying to be more mature and learn and talk more about them.

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“It’s been a little difficult because obviously, I can only gauge how I’m doing by results. Like, I feel faster. I feel better, but I lost in the second round. So it’s a little rough

“But, also, it’s been fun playing a lot of tournaments. It’s been a commitment for sure, but I’ve been able to go to different cities that I’ve never been to.”

Osaka is a four-time Grand Slam champion, having won the US Open in 2018 and 2020 and the Australian Open title in 2019 and 2021.

Her haul of majors is only bettered by Iga Swiatek and Venus Williams among active players and, despite not winning a Slam title in close to four years, she still believes that further success is possible.

She added: “Obviously, I’ve been a lot more negative after matches, but I really feel like I’m working way harder than I’ve ever worked in my life so it needs to turn into something – well, it doesn’t need to, but I think it will.

“For me, I just appreciate the game and I really want to try my best. How do I feel after this tournament? Really disappointed, but I’m trying to take the flowers from everything.

“I feel like it’s kind of ironic that even though I haven’t gotten to a final, I still in my brain think I can win these tournaments. I feel like eventually it will piece itself together.

“It might not be on the timeline I want it to be, but I think it will come eventually.”