Naomi Osaka recently weighed in on her loss against Aryna Sabalenka at the French Open, sharing blunt feelings on the upset. The Japanese player will now focus on the upcoming tournament of the 2026 season.
Osaka opened her 2026 French Open campaign on Tuesday, May 26, against Laura Siegemund, and claimed a 7-3, 7-6(3) victory. Following this, she locked horns with Donna Vekic and Iva Jovic to advance to the fourth round, where she contested against Sabalenka. The world No. 1 produced a dominant performance on the clay, securing a straight-sets (7-5, 6-3) victory, ending Osaka’s run.
Following this loss, the Japanese player sat for the Roland Garros press conference, where she was asked about her mindset after losing to the Belarusian player. Revealing her mentality shift, she shared her brutally honest feelings after the loss, saying:
“You know, I kind of realized like… I don’t know if you knew me before, but I would be very very disappointed in myself after matches like these. But I kinda realized it doesn’t matter at all. I’ve played her multiple times and sadly to say lost multiple times. The only thing I can keep doing is trying l my best. Maybe hopefully it’ll work out in my favor one day. But I can’t let myself be discouraged every time I lose to someone or win against someone. Because honestly, hitting a ball doesn’t really matter, like, on Earth, kind of,” said Naomi Osaka.
Naomi Osaka opened up about considering the Roland Garros upset as a positive thing for her
After suffering a disappointing upset against Aryna Sabalenka in the fourth round, Naomi Osaka sat for a post-match press conference, where she discussed several aspects of her performance at the French Open. One of the reporters asked if she considered the clay court season a success for her as compared to her 2026 season so far.
Responding to this, she revealed that this season is the first time she has reached the fourth round of the tournament in her career. Even though she lost, she stated this as a positive thing for her, saying:
“I mean honestly I don’t really look at the result too much anymore, like I feel as long as I wake up every day and hit the ball and think I’m improving that itself is a win. And obviously sometimes in the season there’s like dips, highs and lows. But I think getting the furthest that I got so far in rolling girls should hopefully be a positive result for me,” said Naomi Osaka.
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