Naomi Osaka is breaking new ground at the 2026 Wimbledon Championships. Just weeks after reaching the fourth round of the French Open for the first time in her career, the former world No. 1 has booked her place in her maiden quarterfinal at the grass-court Major.
Osaka’s turnaround has followed a significant shift in mindset, which was triggered by an incident involving Iga Świątek.
Why Naomi Osaka Felt ‘Really Ashamed’ After Her Rome Loss to Iga Świątek
Osaka has produced a stellar campaign at Wimbledon, reaching the fourth round without dropping a set. However, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka stood in the way of her reaching the quarterfinals, with the duo set to battle in a rematch of their French Open encounter, where the Belarusian secured a 7-5, 6-3 victory. Sabalenka had also won all three of their previous encounters this season.
However, Osaka avenged her defeats in emphatic fashion. She dominated the opening set and clinched the second-set tiebreak to secure a 6-2, 7-6(2) victory, ousting the top seed from the tournament.
During her post-match press conference, the 28-year-old was asked what had prompted her change in mindset, as she had begun to view tennis as a job rather than the most important thing in her life.
Osaka said the change stemmed from her crushing 6-2, 6-1 loss to Iga Świątek at this year’s Italian Open, revealing she “felt ashamed” that her immediate reaction to the defeat was to fly home without even speaking to her coaching team.
“I would say the people around me like even years ago tried to help me a lot. I think it came after Rome. I lost to Iga really badly and I felt like I just shut everyone out and I literally just got on a plane back home. It wasn’t the most professional thing to do. Like I didn’t talk to my team and I felt really ashamed about like what I did,” Osaka said.
The four-time Grand Slam champion, who has her daughter, Shai, by her side at Wimbledon, said the incident forced her to reevaluate her priorities.
“So then after that I just told myself like, hey, I’m nearing 30. I really got to like enjoy the time that I have. Also, obviously tennis is very very important to me, but I have a life outside of that and I have to treasure tennis in the way that I can, which is not putting too much um importance on it,” she added.
MORE: Why Naomi Osaka Immediately Thanked Iga Świątek’s Former Coach After Wimbledon Win Against Sabalenka
With a spot in the semifinals at stake, No. 14 seed Naomi Osaka will square off against No. 10 seed Karolína Muchová in a blockbuster quarterfinal clash at Wimbledon. The two recently met in the Bad Homburg Open final, which ended in a mid-match retirement for Osaka due to a foot injury, while Muchová led 6-1, 1-0.
The rematch offers the Japanese star a shot at redemption, with either Coco Gauff or Jessica Pegula awaiting the winner in the semifinals.
