Osaka’s Wimbledon Hopes Dim After Another Loss
Tennis star Naomi Osaka faces mounting challenges as she prepares for Wimbledon. A recent defeat at the Bad Homburg Open highlights her struggles to find form on grass courts, casting doubt on her prospects at the upcoming Grand Slam.
Navarro Dominates Osaka at Bad Homburg
Osaka suffered a setback at the Bad Homburg Open, losing to Emma Navarro. The Japanese player, despite a promising start to the season with a final appearance in Auckland, has struggled to convert competitive matches into wins.
Navarro won both of their matches, never dropping a set against Osaka. Rick Macci, former coach of Serena Williams, commented on Osaka’s performance via social media, highlighting the serve as her strength.
Some players maybe cannot play as well on grass because they do not like it. Remember if you do not like it the grass feels the same way about you Osaka. Osaka and her serve on grass is one of the best if she is using her slice. Her serve alone can keep her right there with anybody. But she is not controlling the baseline like in the past and her ability to run through balls and produce quality is a few milliseconds late.
— Rick Macci (@RickMacci)
June 25, 2025
Macci Analyzes Osaka’s Game
Macci thinks that the unforced errors are a key problem for Osaka. The player is also not controlling the baseline as well as she has in the past. She is slightly late in generating quality shots.
Osaka had 42 unforced errors against Navarro. This suggests a lack of sharpness and consistency in her game, potentially hindering her chances at Wimbledon. Grass court play demands precision and adaptability, areas where Osaka currently appears to be lacking.
Looking Ahead
Emma Navarro noted that she had played well and that Osaka had made it tough for her. Navarro will compete next against Jessica Pegula. The next round should be an interesting match as Navarro and Pegula have played each other several times.
According to the WTA, the average number of unforced errors per match on the WTA Tour is 25.6 (WTA Stats 2025).
Osaka will need to quickly address her weaknesses on grass to make a strong showing at Wimbledon. The former world number one aims to regain her form.
