‘Frustrated’ Naomi Osaka not happy about her ‘inconsistent’ performance following her first round loss in Indian Wells

Naomi Osaka fell to a disappointing 4-6, 4-6 loss to Colombia's Camila Osorio in the first round in Indian Wells.

‘Frustrated’ Naomi Osaka not happy about her ‘inconsistent’ performance following her first round loss in Indian Wells

Naomi Osaka (Image via X)

Naomi Osaka was hoping that her return from injury in Indian Wells would lead to a great start. Unfortunately, the former World No.1 crashed out of the WTA 1000 tournament after losing to Colombia’s Camila Osorio in the first round. Frustrated after the defeat, she revealed that the loss felt strange.

Osaka began the 2025 season on a high after reaching the final of the Auckland Classic. However, she didn’t win the title as she was forced to retire due to an injury despite having won the first set. The Japanese star did well to bounce back at the Australian Open but retired in the third round against Belinda Bencic.

YouTube video

She did well to take a break following her abdominal strain in Melbourne by not playing at the Qatar Open and Dubai Tennis Championships. Back on the court in Indian Wells, she didn’t play at her best level, which eventually had Osorio dominate the match. The Colombian earned a 6-4, 6-4 win against Osaka.

Speaking at her press conference, Osaka pointed out that it wasn’t injury that caused the loss. She added that the defeat looks like she will have to start all over again as she hoped to win the match.

First of all, I’m not injured. I feel very good, which I guess is positive. Secondly, it feels very strange, because I think I did well in Australia. It’s like starting over again. It would have been very helpful to play more matches in this tournament, but obviously I couldn’t. The same thing happened today with my tennis. There were things that didn’t go well because I could only start training the serve after some time and things like that. Given the circumstances, it hasn’t been so terrible, but I would have liked to win and continue playing in the tournament.

Naomi Osaka said

Osorio’s win over Osaka makes her the first Colombian player to beat a former World No.1. This season, the 23-year-old has won five matches and achieved her best run at the Hobart International where she reached the quarter-finals.

Naomi Osaka labels loss to Camila Osorio in Indian Wells as “a small bump in the road”

Naomi Osaka had a rough 2024 season, as she was just returning to the tour following her 15-month maternity break after the birth of her daughter Shai. The 27-year-old began playing better after she appointed Patrick Mouratoglou as her coach in September.

Naomi Osaka (via Forbes)

The instant progress in her game led her to reach the final of the Auckland Classics. Following her defeat to Camila Osorio, she revealed that it was small bump in the road for her. She added that she aims to bounce back immediately and that at the Miami Open.

I would say the hardest part is feeling like I could have done very well at the Australian Open, and then having to return to training and try to strengthen myself for tournaments like this one, and not doing well here. It sucks, but I feel like I’m also used to it since last season. When I think about last year, I feel completely fine now because it’s like a small bump in the road. I will go back to Miami and hope to have more serve practice and things like that.

Naomi Osaka said

The Miami Open is slated to begin on March 16. Osaka, who won the title in 2021 will be hoping to get back to form in the tournament. She last reached the final of the WTA 1000 events in 2022 losing to Iga Swiatek in straight sets.