I can win Grand Slam again, says Osaka after Wimbledon exit

Naomi Osaka remains confident in her ability to secure a fifth Grand Slam title, even after her Wimbledon run ended in the quarter-finals. The Japanese star, who last won a major at the 2021 Australian Open, saw a strong opportunity slip away with a 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 loss to Czech 10th seed Karolina Muchova.

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I know my results don’t show it, but whenever I play a Slam, my intention is to win.

This latest setback follows her semi-final appearance at last year's US Open, where she lost to Amanda Anisimova. Osaka expressed her deep desire to win Grand Slams, stating, "whenever I play a Slam, my intention is to win." She acknowledged that while her results don't always reflect it, she feels she could have performed better in her recent match.

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This one is a little more upsetting to me because I feel like there was so much more I could have done.

Despite the disappointment, Osaka is looking for positives, noting her quarter-final achievement at Wimbledon, a tournament where she had never previously advanced past the third round. "I feel like I can still improve so much as a player," she stated, believing a Grand Slam victory is still within reach. She also reflected on her break from the sport to focus on mental health and her return after giving birth to her first child in 2023.

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I think maybe I should find the positive in that because I’ve gotten to the quarters and I feel like I can still improve so much as a player.

Osaka's performance at Wimbledon marked her best showing at the tournament. "For me, that's a positive," she said, though she admitted it was hard to find immediate positives after her match. She felt she did not play well and lacked energy compared to her previous strong performance. Osaka will now shift her focus to the hard-court season, the surface that has seen her win all seven of her WTA titles, including her four Grand Slam victories.

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I feel like in my head I think there’s still an opportunity to win a Slam.