Naomi Osaka lost to former French Open finalist Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 6-4 in the third round of the Tokyo Olympics tennis tournament Tuesday, July 27, 2021.
Osaka, who skipped Wimbledon earlier this month, struggled with her usually reliable groundstrokes while the 42nd-ranked Vondrousova produced a series of drop-shot winners and other crafty shots that drew her opponent out of her comfort zone.
Osaka, who had the honor of lighting the Olympic cauldron in Friday’s opening ceremony, won her opening two matches in straight sets following a two-month mental-health break. But conditions were different Tuesday with the roof closed because it was raining outside.
Shortly after the match was over, organizers said that Osaka had left the venue and wouldn’t be talking to the media.
She withdrew from the French Open in May, a day after she was fined $15,000 and threatened with suspension for refusing to appear at tournament news conferences, writing that those media appearances caused “huge waves of anxiety.” Osaka had announced on the eve of the Grand Slam tournament that she wouldn’t speak to the media, to protect her mental health.
