LONDON (AP) 鈥� Sure, Naomi Osaka is a four-time Grand Slam champion who also impresses with her .
On Tuesday, she sounded like the rest of us. The plantar fasciitis was acting up. She鈥檚 working too much.
鈥淚鈥檓 just getting old,鈥� Osaka said.
The 28-year-old Osaka鈥檚 run and fashion show ended in a 7-6 (4), 6-4 loss to Karolina Muchova in the quarterfinals of the grass-court Grand Slam.
Osaka, a former No. 1 player, had ousted top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in the fourth round 鈥� with arguably some of her best tennis since returning from maternity leave 鈥� but couldn’t find her rhythm Tuesday against her Czech opponent.
鈥淚t鈥檚 hard because I played so well in my last match, then today I just feel like I didn鈥檛 play well at all and I didn鈥檛 have any energy,” said Osaka, who despite the loss still had her best result at the All England Club by reaching the quarterfinals.
鈥淚 could feel it coming because I鈥檝e played way more matches than I usually do before a Slam,” she added. 鈥淚 just wanted to try that to see the rhythm, you know? Obviously it worked out well. But I think I probably won鈥檛 do that again. But yeah, I would say it was like an accumulation of playing two weeks straight without a day off.鈥�
In a Wimbledon warmup tournament in Bad Homburg, Germany, Osaka had retired from the final 鈥� against Muchova 鈥� .
The Japanese player 鈥� who took mental-health breaks starting in 2021 and was away from the tour while having a daughter 鈥� was asked Tuesday if she has an ankle issue. No, she responded before joking about 鈥済etting old.鈥� She did say, however, that she has 鈥減lantar fasciitis on my feet. Well, that鈥檚 what we assume it is.鈥�
鈥淚t kind of started happening off-season last year,鈥� Osaka added. 鈥淚 feel like maybe it’s because I鈥檓 a lot more springy on my toes. I think it reactivated on grass court because I鈥檓 pushing off a lot more to go forward. I don鈥檛 think it will bother me on hard court. I鈥檓 thinking it was maybe just the surface change.鈥�
Osaka has won two of her four major titles (2018 and 鈥�20) at the U.S. Open, and she made it back to the semifinals at Flushing Meadows last year, .
鈥淚 feel like in my head I think there鈥檚 still an opportunity to win a Slam,鈥� she said.
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