Naomi Osaka rapidly switched her focus to the Paris Olympics after a chastening early exit from Wimbledon on Wednesday at the hands of America’s Emma Navarro.
The Japanese superstar, playing at the All England Club for the first time since 2019, went down 6-4, 6-1 in her second-round match on Centre Court in less than an hour.
The players were locked at 3-3 in the first set before the four-time Grand Slam champion lost her way.
Osaka admitted she had been short of confidence.
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“Honestly, I feel like even though in the beginning it was kind of like we were trading games, I don’t know why, I didn’t feel fully confident in myself,” she said.
“I didn’t feel like I was playing that well. I guess, like, those doubts started trickling in a lot into my game. Obviously the second set wasn’t that great.”
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Navarro, 17th in the world rankings, broke to love in the seventh game and went on to take the first set.
She tightened the screw in the second set, breaking twice to race into a 4-0 lead and repeated the feat again to seal the match.
Osaka’s win over Diane Parry in the opening round on Monday was her first at Wimbledon since 2018.
Now she is ranked at 113 having only returned to the tour in January after giving birth to one-year-old daughter Shai last year.
Osaka said she was not sure what her schedule would look like but said the Olympics in Paris, starting later this month, would be a priority.
She reached the third round of the Tokyo Games, held in 2021. The tennis tournament in Paris is taking place on the clay courts of Roland Garros, where Osaka held a match point against eventual champion and world number one Iga Swiatek at the recent French Open.
“Since I’m out so early, I really want to take the time and train for the Olympics because I do want to do well,” she said.
“I do know that my last clay court match was really good. So I might end up liking that surface a lot more than grass now.
“As far as the schedule, I don’t really know too much yet. I think I’m just going to go home and, I guess, see what Shai is doing and then plan from there.”
Meanwhile, world number two and US Open champion Coco Gauff cruised into the Wimbledon third round with a straight-sets win over Romanian qualifier Anca Todoni.
Gauff triumphed 6-2, 6-1 under the Court One roof against her 142nd-ranked opponent, who was making her Grand Slam debut.
“I’m happy with the way I played, could have been cleaner on some points,” said Gauff, who broke her 19-year-old opponent five times.
The American, who made her career breakthrough at Wimbledon as a 15-year-old qualifier in 2019, goes on to face either Clara Burel of France or British qualifier Sonay Kartal for a place in the last 16.
RESULTS FROM WIMBLEDON DAY 3
Men’s Singles First Round
Emil Ruusuvuori (FIN) bt Mackenzie McDonald (USA) 7-6 (8/6), 4-6, 5-7, 7-6 (8/6), 6-3
Arthur Rinderknech (FRA) bt Kei Nishikori (JPN) 5-7, 6-4, 6-7 (2/7), 6-3, 6-2
Alejandro Tabilo (CHI x24) bt Daniel Evans (GBR) 6-2, 7-5, 6-3
Tomas Machac (CZE) bt David Goffin (BEL) 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 7-6 (10/5)
Roman Safiullin (RUS) bt Francisco Cerundolo (ARG x26) 6-7 (5/7), 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4
Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) bt Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN x17) 4-6, 5-7, 7-6 (11/9), 6-4, 6-4
Lucas Pouille (FRA) bt Laslo Djere (SRB) 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 3-6, 6-3, 6-1
Quentin Halys (FRA) bt Christopher Eubanks (USA) 6-4, 6-4, 6-2
Karen Khachanov (RUS x21) bt Aslan Karatsev (RUS) 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (13/11), 2-0 – retired
Men’s Singles Second Round
Jannik Sinner (ITA x1) bt Matteo Berrettini (ITA) 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/4), 2-6, 7-6 (7/4)
Miomir Kecmanovic (SRB) bt Tallon Griekspoor (NED x27) 4-6, 7-6 (9/7), 1-6, 6-2, 6-3
Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) bt Zhang Zhizhen (CHN x32) 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (7/1), 7-6 (10/8)
Daniil Medvedev (RUS x5) bt Alexandre Muller (FRA) 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/4), 6-4, 7-5
Carlos Alcaraz (ESP x3) bt Aleksandar Vukic (AUS) 7-6 (7/5), 6-2, 6-2
Frances Tiafoe (USA x29) bt Borna Coric (CRO) 7-6 (7/5), 6-1, 6-3
Brandon Nakashima (USA) bt Jordan Thompson (AUS) 6-3, 6-2, 6-2
Ugo Humbert (FRA x16) bt Botic van de Zandschulp (NED) 7-6 (11/9), 6-1, 6-3
Tommy Paul (USA x12) bt Otto Virtanen (FIN) 4-6, 6-3, 5-7, 7-5, 6-4
Alexander Bublik (KAZ x23) bt Arthur Cazaux (FRA) 6-4, 7-6 (7/1), 6-4
Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) bt Lorenzo Sonego (ITA) 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
Fabio Fognini (ITA) bt Casper Ruud (NOR x8) 6-4, 7-5, 6-7 (1/7), 6-3
Suspended, to be completed Thursday: Gael Monfils (FRA) leads Stan Wawrinka (SUI) 7-6 (7/5), 6-4, 5-5
Women’s Singles First Round
Danielle Collins (USA x11) bt Clara Tauson (DEN) 6-3, 7-6 (7/4)
Maria Camila Osorio (COL) bt Lauren Davis (USA) 6-3, 6-1
Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA x20) bt Magdalena Frech (POL) 7-5, 6-3
Barbora Krejcíkova (CZE x31) bt Veronika Kudermetova (RUS) 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (1/7), 7-5
Katie Volynets (USA) bt Lourdes Carle (ARG) 6-2, 7-5
Jule Niemeier (GER) bt Viktorija Golubic (SUI) 6-2, 6-1
Elina Svitolina (UKR x21) bt Magda Linette (POL) 7-5, 6-7 (9/11), 6-3
Women’s Singles Second Round
Lulu Sun (NZL) bt Yuliia Starodubtseva (UKR) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
Zhu Lin (CHN) bt Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS x25) 6-4, 6-3
Emma Raducanu (GBR) bt Elise Mertens (BEL) 6-1, 6-2
Maria Sakkari (GRE x9) bt Arantxa Rus (NED) 7-5, 6-3
Dayana Yastremska (UKR x28) bt Varvara Gracheva (FRA) 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (10/5)
Donna Vekic (CRO) bt Erika Andreeva (RUS) 6-2, 6-3
Jasmine Paolini (ITA x7) bt Greet Minnen (BEL) 7-6 (7/5), 6-2
Bianca Andreescu (CAN) bt Linda Noskova (CZE x26) 6-3, 7-6 (7/5)
Diana Shnaider (RUS) bt Sloane Stephens (USA) 6-1, 6-1
Emma Navarro (USA x19) bt Naomi Osaka (JPN) 6-4, 6-1
Sonay Kartal (GBR) bt Clara Burel (FRA) 6-3, 5-7, 6-3
Coco Gauff (USA x2) bt Anca Todoni (ROM) 6-2, 6-1