- Osaka, who’s ranked number two in the world, will need two more wins to be up for a medal.
- For the next match, she will be playing against Czech Republic’s Marketa Vondrousova.
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- In May, the 23-year-old star athlete announced her withdrawal from the French Open after organizers fined her $15,000 for not attending a press conference. Weeks later, she also withdrew from Wimbledon, explaining that she was taking “personal time.”
- Speaking to reporters after the weekend match, Osaka said she felt “refreshed and happy” coming back from her break, Teen Vogue reported.
- “More than anything else, I’m just focused on playing tennis,” she said. “The Olympics has been a dream of mine since I was a kid, so I feel like the break that I took was very needed.”
- Critics had more to say about it, with one writer questioning whether she was Japanese enough to light the cauldron.
- Nonetheless, Osaka took to social media to express her appreciation, describing the moment as “undoubtedly the greatest achievement and honor I will ever have in my life.”