TOKYO — The host country’s superstar is out of the Tokyo Olympics.
Naomi Osaka lost to former French Open finalist Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 6-4 in the third round of the Olympic tennis tournament.
The 42nd-ranked Vondrousova produced a series of drop-shot winners and other crafty shots that drew Osaka out of her comfort zone.
The Olympic tournament marked Osaka's return to competition following a several-month break. She pulled out of the French Open in May after a dispute over the tournament's media availability policy, which she said was a detriment to her mental health.
She also chose not to compete at Wimbledon earlier this month.
Prior to pulling out of the French Open, Osaka had won back-to-back Grand Slam titles at the 2020 U.S. Open and the 2021 Australian Open.
Osaka also lit the Olympic cauldron at the Opening Ceremony on Friday, something she called "undoubtedly the greatest athletic achievement and honor I will ever have in my life."
