Tennis star Naomi Osaka is reportedly contemplating taking a break from the sport after revealing a significant hand injury.
The former world No. 1, aged 27, was recently defeated in the first round of the French Open by Paula Badosa.
Following her early exit, the current world No. 49 shared images on social media showing severe blisters on her hands.
She indicated that the injury prevented her from fully bending her fingers.
After the loss to Badosa, the Japanese player expressed her frustration, saying she was “sick of this” and needed a break “for a while”.
However, she also mentioned training despite these feelings, citing “anxiety” when she doesn`t work out.
Visibly emotional, the former world No. 1 teared up during a press conference and spoke critically about her performance.
She confessed to feeling like she was disappointing people, mentioning her coach Patrick Mouratoglou (formerly Serena Williams` coach) and wondering aloud:
“I think as time goes on, I feel like I should be doing better. I hate disappointing people. So, like, even with [coach] Patrick [Mouratoglou], I was thinking this just now, but like, he goes from working with, like, the greatest player ever to, like, `what the f*** this is?` You know what I mean?”
Her return to tennis after becoming a mother has been challenging.
In a separate interview, she described motherhood as “so fulfilling” but admitted balancing it with her career was “tough”.
She elaborated: “Becoming a mom has been so fulfilling. My career requires me to travel for most of the year, which makes it tough when I have to be away from my daughter so frequently, but I`ve got such a great support system around. It takes a village, and I truly couldn`t do it without mine… Motherhood has definitely given me a broader perspective on life. Kids require so much patience, and I`ve definitely learned to be more patient through my daughter. I have a great team around me, and they are there with me during the highs and lows.”
