Osaka Naomi has shown she is on her path to recovery from the abdominal damage that drove her from the Australian opening in January, but it will take a little longer to become sharp and tough.
Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion and former world No. 1, lost to world No. 53 Camilla O Solio in the first round of the Indian Wells on Wednesday night (6-4, 6-4) straight set. On social media, she later described the defeat as “the worst match I've ever played in my life.”
Osaka finished 56th and Osorio was dead in the first eight games, but Osaka committed a surge in error while serving 4-4. It gave Osorio the opportunity to provide a set, and the brave Colombians didn't waste it.
The game was a microcosm of the match. Osaka made the error in all ways. The ball flew long and wide. Some people missed a few inches. Others missed a few feet.
Errors were particularly common when Osaka was under pressure. Osaka and Patrick Mouratoglu, the first coaches since September, focused on that dynamic for several months, and it seemed like Osaka had moved forward as it rolled at the beginning of the year.
Osaka played in the finals at Auckland, where she had worsened her abdominal injury and had to retire after the first set, facing Clara Towson. Osaka has played some of her best tennis since returning from maternity leave in early 2024, starting with her return from her maternity leave, since she won one of the world's top players, Karolina Mankova, from 2 1/2 matches at the Australian Open.
Osaka then again had to strain his muscles and retire from his third match against Belinda Bensik after the first set. She controlled the Bensik until her injuries.
Osaka returned to California to rest. However, she had two weeks of hard training prior to the Indian well, and Mouratoglu declared that she was ready to go. Physically, perhaps, but tennis wasn't there.
“It's crazy for me to have my dream come true,” said Osorio, 23. Her victory was the first time a woman from Colombia has beaten the former world No. 1.
For Osaka, who won Indian Wells in 2018, this loss allows her to rest before heading to the Miami Open, which is one of the closest events to her mind and where she grew up in South Florida. After her defeat, Osaka confirmed that her body fit, but her shape was not there.
“I don't think I was too good on my part,” she said at a press conference.
She described an annoyed month in which the Australian Open was not allowed to play for a week and was unable to serve another week, then was allowed to slowly begin serving, but only when the strength was slowly increased weekly to avoid reassessing the abdominal muscles.
“I did well in Australia,” she said. “It feels like I'm stopping to start again.”
That said, Osaka said that even with losses, it feels much better than last year when the start of the year was struggling to find consistency. Or maybe she's used to the idea that she'll never return to the top of the sport.
“It feels like a bump in the road,” she said. “I don't feel like I played well at all, but I still feel like I have plenty of opportunities to get into the game.”
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(Photo: Clive Brunskill / Getty Images)
