Osaka confident of claiming another major title despite Wimbledon departure

Naomi Osaka remains confident in her ability to claim a fifth Grand Slam title, despite her latest setback, a quarter-final loss at Wimbledon on Tuesday.

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Osaka's last major victory came at the 2021 Australian Open, and she had raised hopes of ending her five-year drought after defeating world number one Aryna Sabalenka in the last 16 at the All England Club.

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However, she was unable to build on that performance, suffering a 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 defeat to Czech 10th seed Karolina Muchova, marking her latest disappointing loss in the latter stages of a Grand Slam tournament.

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This loss follows her semi-final defeat to Amanda Anisimova at the US Open last year, and Osaka acknowledged that her results do not reflect her intentions, stating, "I know my results don’t show it, but whenever I play a Slam, my intention is to win."

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Osaka reflected on her previous performance, saying, "Obviously last year I got to the semis (at the US Open), I wanted so desperately to be in the final to have that opportunity, but Amanda played insane…"

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She expressed that her current loss is "a little more upsetting" because she feels there was more she could have done, but is trying to focus on the positive, having reached the quarters and believing she can still improve as a player.

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Osaka's career has been marked by notable achievements, including two Australian Opens and two US Opens between 2018 and 2021, and a stint as the world's number one ranked player.

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After taking a break to prioritize her mental health and subsequently giving birth to her first child in 2023, Osaka has been working to regain her top form, and is now closer to her best after reaching the French Open last 16 for the first time last month.

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Assessing her Wimbledon run, Osaka noted, "The tournament as a whole, it’s the furthest I’ve gotten here," and while she would have liked to progress further, she is attempting to find the positives in her performance.

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Osaka struggled to immediately find a positive aspect of her match, admitting, "If I think about my match today, it’s hard for me to immediately think of something positive," due to her perceived lack of energy and subpar play.

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She will now shift her focus to the hard-court campaign, the surface on which she has won all seven of her WTA titles, including those four Slams.