Naomi Osaka to take a break from playing after shock loss in US Open 2021

Defending Champion and third seed Naomi Osaka suffered probably the biggest upset of the US Open 2021. She lost the to the teenager Leylah Fernandez in the third round of the tournament and crashed out. After the loss, Osaka cleared that she isn't enjoying her time on the court and for the same reason she has decided to take a break from the sport.

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"How do I go around saying this? I feel like for me recently, like, when I win I don't feel happy. I feel more like a relief. And then when I lose, I feel very sad," she explained. "I don't think that's normal. I didn't really want to cry, but basically I feel like..." she said after the match.

Moreover, Naomi Osaka also stated that she doesn't know when she will play her next match. She also broken down during the press conference while announcing that she might take a break now.

"This is very hard to articulate. Basically I feel like I'm kind of at this point where I'm trying to figure out what I want to do, and I honestly don't know when I'm going to play my next tennis match (tearing up). Sorry. I think I'm going to take a break from playing for a while," Osaka added.

Naomi Osaka also apologised for not handling her emotions well during the match. She ended up throwing her racket on the court after making mistake in one of the points. The 23-year-old also admitted of feeling anxious of late after being put under pressure.

"I'm really sorry about that. I'm not really sure why. I was telling myself to be calm, but I feel like maybe there was a boiling point," she said. "Normally, I like challenges. But recently I feel very anxious when things don't go my way, and I feel like you can feel that. I'm not really sure why it happens the way it happens now," she further said.