Naomi Osaka wrestles with own expectations after losing on Grand Slam return
Two-time champion Naomi Osaka refused to be downbeat after falling at the first hurdle in the Australian Open, just six months after giving birth to her first child.
Osaka, who only returned to the court last week at the Brisbane International, lost 6-4 7-6 (7-2) to 16th seed Caroline Garcia in Melbourne on Monday.
“I felt like I did the best that I could possibly do. I have to tell myself ‘hey, six months ago you were pregnant’,” she said.
“Of course there’s a voice in my head that is saying ‘who are you to think you can come back and immediately start winning matches?’.
“I kind of always expect myself to stand a chance anyways. So I guess just being nicer to myself is a key thing that I learned in my time away.”
Elsewhere on day two at the Australian Open, Ukrainian qualifier Dayana Yastremska stunned Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova 6-1 6-2.
“I’m very proud of Ukraine,” said Yastremska, 23. “When I was in Brisbane, before my match the rocket arrived on my grandmother’s house so it was pretty hard to play, but I think we just need to remember about it and give as much support as possible to Ukraine.”
US Open winner Coco Gauff and three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur cruised into round two with straight-sets wins.