Hot favourite Naomi Osaka was knocked out of the Tokyo Olympics on Tuesday.
The Japanese star suffered a 1-6, 4-6 defeat to Marketa Vondrousova in the third round of the Tokyo Games on Tuesday, crushing her dreams of winning Olympic gold at home.
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Osaka had lit the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony.
She struggled in an error-strewn display under the centre court roof at Ariake Tennis Park and was knocked out in 68 minutes.
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“I definitely feel like there was a lot of pressure, this time around,” said Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion.
“I think it’s maybe because I haven’t played in an Olympics before and for the first one to be here was a bit much.
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“But I think I’m glad with how I played… with taking that break that I had. I’ve taken long breaks before and I’ve managed to do well.
“And I’m not saying that I did that right now, but I do know that my expectations were a lot higher than how my result was.
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“So… I think my attitude wasn’t that great, but I didn’t really know how to cope with that pressure… so that’s the best that I could have done in this situation.
“For me, I’m really glad to be here. I’m sad that I lost, of course, but all in all really happy with my first Olympic experience.”
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The defeat comes after a turbulent few months for the 23-year-old, who first refused to attend press conferences at the French Open and then said she was taking time out from tennis as she battled depression and anxiety.
She missed Wimbledon but returned for the Olympic tournament and had seemed back on her game in the early rounds in Tokyo.
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