Osaka: "I cried when I left the court, but it was a memorable atmosphere".
Naomi Osaka came agonizingly close against Iga Swiatek in the 2nd round of the French Open on Wednesday. Facing the world No.1 and two-time title-holder, she led 5-2 in the 3rd set and even had a match point before losing after almost 3 hours of battle (7-6, 1-6, 7-5).
It was an understandably tough defeat for the Japanese player, who made no secret of it, but was very philosophical in her post-match press conference. It has to be said that the former world No.1 only returned to competition at the beginning of the year after more than a year's absence to give birth to her daughter.
Naomi Osaka: "It was the most fun I've ever had, the atmosphere was incredible. It was really memorable for me.
I cried when I left the court. But I've definitely felt worse. I thought about last year when I watched Iga win the French Open while I was pregnant. I dreamed of playing against her, so when I think about it, I try not to be too hard on myself.
I'm just here to feel the good vibes. I'm a hard-court kid, so I'd love to play her on a hard court.
I feel like I'm playing better because I've been working on specific points. The results aren't there yet.
I wrote in my diary 'I'm proud of you'. Saying that to myself gives me power."
French Open 
