Four-time Grand Slam champion says she won’t stay on tour if first-round losses become the norm, casting doubt on tennis future

March 22, 2026 | 5 min read

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MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Naomi Osaka walked off Court 5 in Miami with her head down. Hours later, she walked into a press conference and dropped a truth bomb that has the tennis world holding its breath.

The 28-year-old, seeded 16th after receiving a first-round bye, fell to Australian qualifier Talia Gibson 7-5, 6-4 in a sluggish, error-strewn performance. It was her first match since withdrawing from the Australian Open with a chronic abdominal injury. It was her fourth loss in her last five matches.

And it prompted a brutal self-assessment.

 

“For me, like I said last year, I’m not going to stay on tour if I’m losing in the first round,” Osaka told reporters. “I’d rather just be a great mom and be there for my daughter. Because for me, I want to win titles and I want to be the best player I can, but if I have to sacrifice having a lot of time with my daughter, I’d rather not do it.”

Osaka’s words carried the weight of a player caught between two identities.

 

“I feel like this also is a dilemma for me,” Osaka said. “Obviously, I would love to play, but like I said last year… for me, my daughter is very important, and I want to be a mom. I want to be the best mom I can, but sometimes I feel like I know what I have to do to become a really good player, and it’s very difficult.”

The solution she’s landed on: an abbreviated clay season.

“I’m not going to play Charleston. I hope I can play Madrid, Rome and then obviously the French Open.”

Gibson, 21, arrived in Miami with momentum—she’d already beaten Ekaterina Alexandrova, Clara Tauson, and Jasmine Paolini at Indian Wells. Against Osaka, she was simply better.

 

“I was able to draw on some experiences from Indian Wells to stay calm,” Gibson said afterward. “It’s been really cool to see what I am capable of, and it’s really exciting for me.”

The Australian qualifier now has four top-20 wins in three weeks. Osaka has four losses in her last five matches.

Osaka’s post-pregnancy return has been a physical battle. She was forced to withdraw from the Australian Open in January after her chronic abdominal injury—which she says is connected to her pregnancy—flared up again.

In Miami, she joked about struggling with a back injury.

“Your girl’s getting old out here,” she said, laughing. But the laughter didn’t mask the concern.

For a player whose game relies on explosive power, these recurring injuries are existential threats.

Osaka’s defeat was part of a brutal day for the Miami Open draw. The final three British players all crashed out:

 

Jones, who had beaten Venus Williams in the first round, was visibly unwell. “I’ve been struggling with an infection the whole week. You can probably tell my voice is a bit congested… I’m probably at four out of 10 today,” she admitted.

Boulter fought hard but was outclassed by Muchova’s variety. Norrie, the most competitive of the three, forced a third set against the 21-year-old Michelsen but couldn’t close.

Elsewhere in Miami, Jannik Sinner continued his pursuit of the “Sunshine Double”—back-to-back titles at Indian Wells and Miami—with a routine 6-3, 6-3 win over Damir Dzumhur. Aryna Sabalenka, who won Indian Wells, plays her Miami opener later this week.

For Osaka, that kind of consistency feels a world away.

What Comes Next

 

Osaka will skip Charleston. She’ll try to be ready for Madrid, Rome, and Roland Garros. She’ll try to stay healthy. She’ll try to find the form that took her to the US Open semi-finals and Montreal final last year.

But her words in Miami weren’t those of a player plotting a path back to the top.

They were those of a mother weighing whether the sacrifice is worth it.

“I’m not going to stay on tour if I’m losing in the first round,” she said.

For now, she’s still on tour. For how much longer? Even she doesn’t seem sure.