Naomi Osaka regrets "not having more fun" at Tokyo 2020
Japan's four-time Slam winner took to Instagram to admit that she wishes she had made of the experience.
Tennis
Japanese tennis superstar Naomi Osaka was the face of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Entrusted with lighting the flame at the Opening Ceremony, she was then tipped to go and win a historic gold medal for the host nation.
However, her journey came to an abrupt and premature end with a third-round defeat to eventual silver medallist Marketa Vondrousova.
With the weight of a nation on her shoulders, the 24-year-old has now expressed regret over not making the most of her time at Tokyo 2020.
Osaka recently took to Instagram to reflect on those home Games, telling her 2.8 million followers that she “had regrets about the whole experience”.
She added that she felt “a deep sense of sadness for not having more fun” while she was there and that she intends to spend more time in the future "just enjoying the experiences and making the most out of the time".
Despite being ranked number two in the world heading into the Olympics, it was Osaka's first tournament appearance since withdrawing from the 2021 French Open on mental health grounds.
The four-time Grand Slam winner later detailed how her battles with depression and anxiety had ultimately led to her wanting some time away from the sport she loves.
After taking more time out from tennis after the last August's US Open, Osaka reached the third round of January's Australian Open where she was surprised by Amanda Anisimova.
She has not played since Melbourne with her world ranking slipping to 82.
However, the Japanese has been given a wildcard for March's Indian Wells tournament, where she claimed her first WTA Tour win back in March 2018, and is set to return to action there.