Naomi Osaka has indicated she is considering taking a break from professional tennis. This comes after she recently revealed a significant hand injury.
The 27-year-old player was defeated in the first round of the French Open earlier this week by Paula Badosa.
On Thursday, the current world No. 49 shared photos displaying a severe injury on her hands.
Posting on social media, she showed close-ups of her fingers covered in what appeared to be very painful blisters.
Osaka stated that the injury was so bad she couldn`t fully bend her fingers.
Following her exit from the French Open against Badosa, the Japanese star admitted she felt “sick of this” and expressed a desire to step away “for a while.”
However, she also mentioned that despite these feelings, she continued training because she experiences “anxiety” when she doesn`t exercise.
The former world No. 1 appeared visibly emotional, reportedly shedding tears and strongly understating her current performance level on the court.
She confessed to feeling as though she is letting people down, including her trainer, Patrick Mouratoglou, who is well-known for previously coaching Serena Williams.
Speaking to reporters, she said: “I think as time goes on, I feel like I should be doing better. I hate disappointing people.”
She added, referring to her coach: “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?”
Osaka`s return to the tennis circuit after becoming a mother for the first time has clearly presented challenges.
In a separate interview with Hello! magazine, she described her new role as “so fulfilling” but acknowledged the difficulty of managing her career and personal life.
She commented: “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.”
