Osaka Reflects on Tennis Future Following Miami Open Defeat
Naomi Osaka has expressed uncertainty about continuing her tennis career if she frequently experiences early-round losses, following a 7-5, 6-4 defeat to Australia’s Talia Gibson in the first round of the Miami Open.
Seeded 16th and receiving a first-round bye, Osaka delivered a sluggish and error-prone performance, ultimately being outplayed by the 21-year-old Gibson, who advanced to face Iva Jovic in the subsequent round.
When questioned about her plans for the upcoming clay court season, Osaka, aged 28, discussed the challenges of balancing motherhood with her professional ambitions. She indicated plans for a shortened clay season starting with the Madrid Open but expressed doubts about maintaining peak performance while prioritizing motherhood.
“I feel like this also is a dilemma for me,” Osaka told a small group of reporters. “Obviously, I would love to play, but like I said last year … for me, my daughter is very important, and I want to be a mom. I want to be the best mom I can, but sometimes I feel like I know what I have to do to become a really good player, and it’s very difficult. I’m not going to play Charleston. I hope I can play Madrid, Rome and then obviously the French Open.”
Since returning to competition in 2024 shortly after giving birth to her daughter Shai, Osaka has faced significant challenges. Despite setbacks, she showed progress late last year by reaching the US Open semi-finals and the final of the Canada Open in Montreal.
Her return has been complicated by injuries, including a chronic abdominal injury linked to her pregnancy that forced her withdrawal from the Australian Open. Recently, she has also been contending with a back injury, which she humorously attributed to aging.
“Your girl’s getting old out here,” she said, laughing.
“For me, like I said last year, I’m not going to stay on tour if I’m losing in the first round,” Osaka added. “I’d rather just be a great mom and be there almost for my daughter. Because for me, I want to win titles and I want to be the best player I can, but if I have to sacrifice having a lot of time with my daughter, I’d rather not do it.”
British Players Exit Miami Open
Osaka’s defeat was accompanied by the exit of the final three British competitors in the Miami Open: Cameron Norrie, Katie Boulter, and Fran Jones, all eliminated in the second round.
Jones was the first to exit, retiring due to a chest infection that had affected her for the past week. She retired while trailing 6-1, 3-0 against Jessica Pegula.
Jones, currently ranked British No. 4, has endured a difficult season, including a hip injury sustained after a heavy fall that forced her to retire from her first-round match at the Australian Open. The recent chest infection further impeded her ability to practice.
“I’ve been struggling with an infection the whole week,” Jones stated. “You can probably tell my voice is a bit congested and everything. I didn’t really want to lose the opportunity to play against Venus [Williams, who Jones beat in the first round], but it’s a whole different board game playing Jess.”
Jones added, “Pegula is in my opinion, [one of] the top three players in the world. I think the stats probably say that as well. And you need to be 10 out of 10 for competing. So I’m probably at four out of 10 today.”
Boulter delivered a strong effort against the highly skilled 13th seed Karolina Muchova but ultimately lost 6-3, 7-5.
Norrie had the best opportunity among the British players to advance but was narrowly defeated by 21-year-old Alex Michelsen, 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-4. Norrie forced a third set by winning the tiebreak but was outplayed in the decisive moments by Michelsen, who served effectively and played aggressively to secure the victory.
Other Miami Open Highlights
Earlier on Saturday, Jannik Sinner defeated Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia and Herzegovina 6-3, 6-3. The world No. 2 is aiming to complete the "Sunshine Double" after winning the Indian Wells title last week.
