Naomi Osaka's best-ever Wimbledon run ended Tuesday with a7-6 (4), 6-4 quarterfinal defeat to Karolina Muchova, and the four-time Grand Slam champion didn't hide her frustration afterward. Having upset top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka just a round earlier, Osaka struggled to find her footing against the Czech player, admitting she felt drained of energy despite the strong form she'd shown days before.
When she was asked if an ankle issue was behind her flat performance, Osaka laughed off the idea and joked about simply "getting old" at 28. She then got more specific, saying she believes she's dealing with plantar fasciitis, a condition she said first flared up in the off-season last year and resurfaced once she hit the grass courts of the All England Club. She had already been forced to retire from a Wimbledon tune-up final in Bad Homburg, Germany, earlier this season because of the same foot issue.
