Four days after she had the honor of lighting the Olympic Cauldron at the Tokyo Olympics Opening Ceremony, tennis star Naomi Osaka's shot at a medal is over.
The 23-year-old athlete, who is the No. 2 ranked player in the world, is out of the 2020 Tokyo Games after losing to the Czech Republic's Marketa Vondrousova in the tennis competition's third round on Tuesday, July 27. Marketa, 22, who is 42nd-ranked, defeated Naomi in straight sets, 6-1 and 6-4.
"It's tough for her also playing in Japan and in the Olympics,'' Marketa told reporters after the win, according to the Associated Press. "It's so much pressure, I cannot imagine."
Naomi, who was representing the host country, gave a brief statement to the press after the match. In her comments, she said the "scale" of the Olympics had been a challenge for her, particularly since she has not participated in a tennis tournament since taking a break from the sport in May to focus on her mental health.
"I feel like I should be used to it by now," Naomi said about the pressure, per media reports. "But at the same time, the scale of everything has been a bit hard because of the break that I took. I am glad I didn't lose in the first round, at least."
The star continued, "I am really glad to be here. I am sad I lost, of course, but all in all, I am really happy with my first Olympic experience."
She has yet to address the loss on social media. On July 25, the tennis player posted a photo to Instagram of herself smiling during an earlier match at the Tokyo Games and added the caption, "I'm here for a good time."
Naomi made headlines in May when she dropped out of the French Open after she was fined for not addressing the media following the opening round of the tournament. In a statement posted to her Instagram at the time to announce her withdrawal, she said she had "suffered long bouts of depression since the US Open in 2018."
In June 2021, the star released a statement announcing she would not compete at Wimbledon in order to take "some personal time with friends and family."