ABU DHABI
\nNaomi Osaka said she was trying not to feel \u201clike a failure\u201d after her comeback hit another roadblock with a 7-5, 6-0 defeat to former world number seven Danielle Collins in the first round of the Abu Dhabi Open on Tuesday.
\n\u201cI say some pretty harsh words about myself. I know the word, but if I say it, it sounds really bad. I felt a little like a \u2018failure\u2019, but I don\u2019t want to be too harsh,\u201d Osaka told AFP in the UAE capital after her straight sets defeat.
\nThe Japanese star returned last month from a 15-month absence from the tour, during which she gave birth to her first child Shai, but has been handed some tricky draws and lost three of her four matches so far this campaign.
\nThe former world number one also lost in straight sets in the doubles later on Tuesday, alongside Ons Jabeur, but feels that performance helped her shake off her earlier disappointment.
\n\u201cI\u2019m less confident but I\u2019m not too unconfident to think that I can\u2019t play really good tennis,\u201d four-time Grand Slam winner Osaka said.
\n\u201cI really think I just need to get through a really tough match and then sort of acknowledge that that\u2019s going to happen quite a couple of times.\u201d Despite a close opening set that witnessed supreme serving from both players, Osaka struggled in her service games in the second set and failed to convert any of her six break point opportunities to fall to the American qualifier in one hour and 23 minutes.
\n\u201cEveryone around me is telling me I\u2019m playing well and I don\u2019t think I\u2019m playing bad,\u201d she continued. \u201cI just need to believe in myself more and I think as soon as I got broken my belief dipped a lot.\u201d Osaka will next head to Doha for the Qatar Open and says she \u201cmight have to play Dubai\u201d but is unsure as of yet.
\nMeanwhile, Collins improved her head-to-head record against Osaka to 2-3 and will take on top-seeded Elena Rybakina in the second round.
\nThe 30-year-old Collins has announced this will be her final season on tour and has herself navigated some brutal draws in her first five weeks of 2024. At the Australian Open, she beat three-time major winner Angelique Kerber before falling to world number one Iga Swiatek in round two.
\nShe has been handed two more grand slam champions in Abu Dhabi in the form of Osaka and 2022 Wimbledon winner Rybakina.
\nCollins said wanting to live a normal life away from the constant travel and the daily grind on tour was the main reason behind her decision to retire at the end of the season.
\n\u201cAt this point I feel like I\u2019m ready for the next chapter and I\u2019m really excited about it,\u201d she said.
\n\u201cI needed to have an end date and it gives my family and friends the ability to come support me in some final tournaments. I think that will be really special,\u201d said the player from Florida.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ABU DHABI Naomi Osaka said she was trying not to feel \u201clike a failure\u201d after her comeback hit another roadblock with a 7-5, 6-0 defeat to former world number seven Danielle Collins in the first round of the Abu Dhabi Open on Tuesday. \u201cI say some pretty harsh words about myself. I know the word, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":385961,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-385940","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n