Naomi leaves Wimbledon, and presser, in a hurry

After bowing out of Wimbledon in the first round, a distraught Naomi Osaka struggled to find words.

Asked why Yulia Putintseva has beaten her twice in successive tournaments, she simply said “she mixes the ball up.”

“I don’t think I played that well. But I wasn’t surprised. I’ve played her before.”

She didn’t like a question about whether she’s not living up to high expectations after winning the US Open and Australian Open. 

“Now there’s going to be more people saying the example you are saying. It doesn’t make me feel better.”

“It’s very hard”

Naomi fought back tears trying to find a bright side. “I wouldn’t blame my age. I’ve done a lot of good things, I’ve done a lot of bad things. I’m not the type of person that could say I can get away with things because I’m young.” 

“I feel like I should’ve been able to play well today. You never know what is going to happen during matches.”

“The key for me was just like having fun. Kinda taking the pressure off myself. I hope I can somehow find a way to do that.”

She answered a few questions and then, when a BBC reporter asked her about her life changes, she walked out of the press room. 

(words and images copyright Christopher Johnson Globalite Media all rights reserved)