Naomi Osaka’s Cincinnati look is not in jeopardy after the four-time Grand Slam champion discovered her lacking baggage with the assistance of United Airways.
On Friday, former world No. 1 Osaka took to X to disclose the difficulty she was coping with – her luggage went lacking throughout a flight and since her rackets had been in these luggage, she wanted them to rapidly be positioned or in any other case she would not have the ability to play on the WTA 1000 event in Cincinnati subsequent week.
“lol @united misplaced my luggage and if I don’t get them tonight or tomorrow I actually can’t play Cincinnati,” Osaka wrote on X on Friday.
The flight firm seen Osaka’s submit and responded: “Hello, Naomi. We’re sorry to listen to this. We might prefer to look into this and help additional. When you have got a second, please DM your bag tag quantity.”
Hello, Naomi. We’re sorry to listen to this. We might prefer to look into this and help additional. When you have got a second, please DM your bag tag quantity. ^NB https://t.co/Y6hG6u3i8R
— United Airways (@united) August 9, 2024
After encouraging Osaka to achieve out on to them, the Japanese tennis star’s problem was resolved.
“replace : I acquired my luggage,” Osaka introduced on Saturday.
replace : I acquired my luggage 🙏🏾
— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) August 10, 2024
The Cincinnati organizers helped Osaka get into the primary draw
Since Osaka is at the moment ranked at No. 95 on the planet, she wasn’t shut to creating the Cincinnati fundamental draw immediately. However final week, the Cincinnati organizers got here by for the 26-year-old Japanese after they introduced her as a fundamental draw wildcard recipient.
And by handing out Osaka a wildcard, the Japanese ensured she would make her fifth fundamental draw look in Cincinnati. Previously, Osaka performed in Cincinnati for the primary time in 2016 when she did not earn a fundamental draw spot by the qualifying occasion after dropping to Daria Saville within the qualifying last spherical.
Two years later, there was no want for Osaka to play within the qualifying occasion as she was a WTA 1000 champion when she made her Cincinnati debut in 2018. Sadly for the Japanese, it wasn’t a formidable fundamental draw debut after she misplaced to Maria Sakkari within the first spherical.
Since then, Osaka has made 4 extra appearances on the Cincinnati occasion – and her greatest consequence on the event got here in 2020 – when she made the ultimate earlier than giving Victoria Azarenka a walkover as a consequence of a hamstring harm. It needs to be famous that that yr the Cincinnati event did not happen in Cincinnati however in New York because of the pandemic.
In her final Cincinnati look – which got here in 2022 earlier than her being pregnant – Osaka was crushed by Shuai Zhang within the first spherical.
How Osaka did in Toronto this week and what are her targets?
Earlier this week, Osaka made a lightning begin to her Toronto run after destroying three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur 6-3 6-1 within the Toronto first spherical. Following that efficiency, some had been left satisfied that this was the event the place the previous world No. 1 might have her greatest run since launching her post-pregnancy comeback. However then, the 26-year-old Japanese bought shocked by Elise Mertens 3-6 4-6 within the second spherical.
“I feel, actually, I really feel I might have put a bit little bit of, a bit bit extra into the groundstrokes. I feel I bought a bit bit caught up in being constant and being, I assume, within the rallies. I feel, I do not know, it is powerful as a result of enjoying towards her, you do not essentially hit winners straight away, you must open up the court docket, and I really feel like I type of bought into the rhythm of probably not hitting winners and, yeah, I possibly began enjoying her recreation a bit extra, however not too mad at it, truly,” Osaka stated in her presser after dropping to Mertens.
For Osaka, the aim is evident – that is to return to her Grand Slam-winning kind and once more be a top-10 participant. Whereas it hasn’t occurred to this point this yr, the four-time Grand Slam champion stays hopeful in some unspecified time in the future she is going to rediscover her previous recreation.
“Yeah, I imply, what, shoot for the celebrities, yeah (laughing). I, sadly, have all the time suffered from, like, perfectionism and I doubt myself so much, however I feel going by this course of and having actually powerful losses that I’ve discovered so much about myself and I discovered that I actually love this recreation and am keen to do no matter it takes to get to the place I really feel like I need to be. I do know there’s going to be much more powerful losses, however hopefully, yeah, hopefully I will be again within the high 10,” Osaka defined.
It stays to be seen if Osaka could make a robust Cincinnati run and make some noise forward of the US Open, the place she is a two-time champion.
