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Osaka, Murray lose first round matches at Australian Open

22 Comments
By Martin PARRY

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Naomi Osaka's Grand Slam comeback ended at the first hurdle on Monday

Expected.

— Naomi Osaka’s Tournament Record since March 2021

0 wins out of 20 tournament entries

— Naomi Osaka’s Match Record since April 2022

4 wins, 10 losses 

7 ( +13 / -6 )

I believe I called this a few days ago..... Sponsor requirement to enter some tournaments?

-2 ( +6 / -8 )

Oh well, have to wait for the French Open.

-12 ( +0 / -12 )

Well so much for that.

0 ( +7 / -7 )

Naomi should have retired permanently in 2021 while at the top of her game. She wasn't enjoying tennis and had other distractions. Could have been remembered as a Calvin Johnson, Momoe Yamaguchi, Barry Sanders - like figure.

-3 ( +6 / -9 )

6 months after giving birth, she did very well (probably none of the haters watched the match).

The tennis is there, she looked composed, but she needs to play a few tournaments. The big serve and powerful strokes are still good, but the rust was obvious in the lack of consistency (which spells disaster for a big hitter). And she really has to work on her footwork, the most difficult part after a long absence. If she still has the fire, she can easily be back in form by the end of the year.

-2 ( +6 / -8 )

Could have been remembered as a Calvin Johnson, Momoe Yamaguchi, Barry Sanders - like figure.

Barry Sanders?

Really?

Relax…….

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Osaka did fine, considering that she's just getting back into competitive tennis after a long absence and having given birth. Garcia, her opponent, is a former top-5 player and played extremely well yesterday. So, there's nothing to be said either positive or negative about Osaka. It's the first baby step of what's going to be a process that will take some time.

Barry Sanders? Really? Relax…….

Actually, Osaka is already superior to Sanders. Barry is unequaled in terms of excitement and style, and is rightly beloved. But he never won anything. Osaka became the #1 player in the world for an extended period of time, and has won 4 Grand Slams. It's a bit hard comparing wins for an athlete on a team sport and another athlete playing an individual sport. But one of these two has a vastly superior trophy room to the other.

Barry is a deserving hall of famer, and Osaka will be enshrined shortly after her eventual retirement.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

astasherToday  09:39 am JST

*Naomi should have retired permanently in 2021 while at the top of her game. She wasn't enjoying tennis and had other distractions. Could have been remembered as a Calvin Johnson, Momoe Yamaguchi, Barry Sanders -* like figure.

Did you pull those names out of a hat? Johnson and Sanders were inducted into the NFL HOF. If her career continues the way it's going, nobody will remember Osaka. Tennis fans hardly remember who she is even now. Momoe Yamaguchi was an athlete?

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

Too old for Andy Murray. He is 36 years old now. Why can't he retire?

-7 ( +0 / -7 )

Ping An, a quick reminder, ATP number one player and first seed at AO is 36 years old...

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Too old for Andy Murray. He is 36 years old now. Why can't he retire?

I think Andy has a lot of pride. It's served him well in the past on many occasions. Just a guess, but I think he's hoping for one more respectable run into the second week at a major, before he hangs up his racket. Maybe a nice round of 16 result, with an eventual hard-fought loss to Alcaraz or someone similarly formidable.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Osaka is clearly finished. Doesn’t have the mental fortitude to return to peak condition. No shame in that. She had her success. Time to move on.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

Uh- oh. She’s beginning to not “have fun”. And we all know how that goes for her.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

Osaka is clearly finished. Doesn’t have the mental fortitude to return to peak condition.

Based on what, exactly?

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

it’s pretty clear her best tennis days are in the rear-view mirror

Based on what, exactly?

Lots of people talking about how "clear" it is, with zero examples or explanation. In her first major tournament after maternity leave for her first child, she played just fine against an in-form opponent. Willing to bet none of the "It's clear" people saw the match, or follow women's tennis.

Would love to hear what part of her game you think is lacking and unrecoverable.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

The Original Wing, obviously the posters closely watched the game, while carefully analyzing all aspects of Osaka's game

3 ( +4 / -1 )

timeon, of course! I look forward to them coming back with full reports.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Would love to hear what part of her game you think is lacking and unrecoverable.

The part played between her ears...

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

The part played between her ears...

The thing between her ears has been good enough for her to climb up to #1 in the world, and win 4 Grand Slams, which is the most of any active player on the women's tour. Unless she had a secret lobotomy during her maternity leave, her mental game is just fine.

If you're confusing mental strength and capacity with her anxiety struggles in media-intensive situations, it's time to do a bit of reading, because your ideas are outdated and misinformed.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

"I thought it was a really good match for me. I thought I just did the best I could possibly do. And it was really nice to be on Rod Laver again," said Osaka. "These past couple of weeks, I'm grateful for them. I don't regret anything. I think I have learned a lot from this trip, both on the court and off the court."

Well, her attitude is a lot better this time around, that's for sure. Gotta respect it.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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