Tennis star Naomi Osaka eliminated from Olympics, cites pressure

Tennis star Naomi Osaka talked about the pressure she faced representing Japan at the Olympics on Tuesday after she lost her match and was eliminated from the Olympic tournament. 

Osaka lost to Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic in the third round on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters after the game, she said there was a lot of pressure on her going into the Olympics, according to The Associated Press.

“I’m disappointed in every loss, but I feel like this one sucks more than the others,” Osaka said, according to AP.

“I definitely feel like there was a lot of pressure for this,” she continued. “I think it’s maybe because I haven’t played in the Olympics before and for the first year [it] was a bit much.”

The loss comes after Osaka, the highest paid female athlete in the world, took time off from the sport to focus on her mental health.

Osaka decided not to compete in the French Open this year so that she could focus on her mental health. She was fined $15,000 for not talking to the media after winning the first match of the Open.

Osaka lit the Olympic flame on Friday to start the Games, becoming the first tennis player in the history of the modern Olympics to do so.