ROLAND GARROS

June 1, 2026

Naomi Osaka

Press Conference

A. SABALENKA/N. Osaka

7-5, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: Naomi, of course not the result you would hope for today, but you and Aryna had a great match. Can you look back at the tournament and assess how successful it has been for you here?

NAOMI OSAKA: Yeah, I mean, for me, it was really fun to play here. Obviously, I would have loved to win, but I guess to end on Chatrier was a pretty high note.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. I'm curious, the whole clay court season, do you consider it overall a success for you for where you're at this season and just for your standards?

NAOMI OSAKA: Yeah, I mean, honestly, I don't really look at the result too much anymore. Like, I feel as long as I wake up every day and hit the ball and think I'm improving, that itself is a win.

Obviously sometimes in the season, there is, like, dips, highs and lows. But I think getting the furthest that I got so far in Roland Garros should hopefully be a positive result for me.

Q. As you said, this is your deepest run here in your career so far, and you also were playing the No. 1 and who you played and hadn't beaten the last couple times this year. Does that give you any sort of freedom or looseness to go out there and swing free tonight? Especially at the start, you looked very loose, in a good way.

NAOMI OSAKA: Honestly, I don't feel like I can play her loose. It's a really hard feeling to describe whenever I play her, but so unlike anyone else on the tour.

Like, I could be loose, but I feel like I play with percentages in my head, and it's just so -- I don't want to say it backfires, but it doesn't matter. The percentages don't matter.

Q. You played Aryna many years ago at the US Open, and you have played all the greats of this generation. The dropshot that she's developed in the last couple of years seemed like a factor in the match today. Have you come across anything quite like that before?

NAOMI OSAKA: I've got the worst memory in the world. You're going to have to ask someone else. I have played everyone.

I mean, all of the people I have played this tournament have hit dropshots. Obviously she's the hardest-hitting one. Like, when she hits a dropshot, it works better, I think, because she obviously could hit a winner, too, if she wanted to.

But have I ever seen anything like it? My hitter hits dropshots too, so... You know what, though? Like, for me, back in the old days, I really liked playing against Barty, because everything she did was so fluid, and I feel like she hit a lot of good dropshots and slices, too.

Q. Could you elaborate what you just said about you play with percentages in your head? I have a vague idea of what you mean, but if you could elaborate on that, and then is that just against Aryna? Is it because she's the World No. 1? Is that something that's always running through your head when you play top players? Could you speak more about that?

NAOMI OSAKA: No, I mean, I could be playing the 300-ranked person. I always have percentages. I think that's just something I do.

For me, it's like calculations. Sometimes it helps me out a lot; sometimes it works against my favor.

It's just like a constant, say, the person serves a lot wide. Then in your brain you're, like, okay, now it's 75% blah, blah, blah. You know what I mean?

Q. I wonder, when you come off a match like this, she played an unbelievable level, how encouraged are you or how sort of daunted are you at sort of closing that gap? Presumably that's where you want to be again, No. 1.

NAOMI OSAKA: (Laughing.) Sorry for laughing.

You know, I kind of realize -- I don't know if you knew me before, but, like, I would be very, very disappointed in myself after matches like these, but I kind of realized that it doesn't matter at all.

Like, I have played her multiple times, and I have, sadly to say, lost multiple times, but the only thing I can keep doing is keep trying my best.

Maybe hopefully it will work out in my favor one day, but I can't let myself be discouraged every time I lose to someone or win against someone, because honestly, like, hitting a ball doesn't really matter in, like, on earth, kind of.

Q. In terms of Serena's comeback, she finally made that announcement today. What type of level do you think we will see from her? Have you had the chance to hit with her or maybe talk to anybody who did?

NAOMI OSAKA: I'm pretty sure you talked to someone that did more than I did. I don't know. Like, I don't know what level to expect. I don't really know. I'm just focusing on myself, honestly.

I love that you're asking me these questions, but, like, there is only so much that I can answer you with about other people's levels, you know.

Q. I don't know if you know this, but it was the first women's match to be scheduled in the night session here for three years. I just wondered what your reaction was to finding out that your match was scheduled in the night session.

NAOMI OSAKA: What was the match before this one?

Q. Sabalenka/Stephens.

NAOMI OSAKA: Oh, like Sloane?

Q. Yeah.

NAOMI OSAKA: I'm so sorry. That was a dumb question. (Laughter.) Goddamn. Wow.

I mean, for me, I thought it was really cool. Like, obviously she's really good for tennis. I would hope I'm okay for tennis, too.

I think, like, honestly it was really fun to play. The last time I remember playing, like, a semi-night match here was obviously against Iga, but I was told it wasn't the official night match.

I am honored that the tournament chose us to play in this slot, and I hope that going forward that they will continue to do so.

Q. Bad luck. Great performance. I'm curious, on you saying that now you no longer consider... I forgot what you said.

NAOMI OSAKA: That's okay. I forget all the time.

Q. The answer you said a couple of answers ago about it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, basically. When did that shift occur? And do you consider it, like, a positive outlook on tennis now?

NAOMI OSAKA: Yeah, I mean, I feel like I say this every couple of months, but I think I reached an enlightenment, but in a healthy way for me.

Because obviously I pour so much into tennis. Like, if I lost this match when I was younger, I'd shut myself in my room or whatever. But now I feel like obviously I love tennis, and I'm trying my best to do everything to be the best player I can.

But I'm just, I don't know, like, it's kind of like a clock in/clock out type of thing. I'm excited to go home and see my daughter. Honestly, that's kind of the happiest moments of life for me.

Q. Given it had been such a long time since there was a women's match in the night session, I just wondered, did you feel any pressure at all to kind of make it a good match?

NAOMI OSAKA: Not really. I don't really care. You know, like, I feel like there are so many different things for me to put pressure on myself. Like, that's the last thing on my mind.

Obviously you don't want to be beaten 6-0, 6-0, but that's anywhere on any court. If I was on Court 27, I wouldn't want to be beaten that fast either.

Shout-out to the tournament for trusting us. I hope it was entertaining for people. Honestly, I think off of the back of the -- I'm so American, calling it the soccer match -- the football match, I think that they are just happy regardless watching sports, so...

(Naomi's answers to questions in Japanese.)

NAOMI OSAKA: Yeah, honestly, I don't know what was happening, but my first-serve percentage has been kind of trash, like, since the beginning of the tournament. And I could get away with it with everyone else, but with her, it's, like, obviously you feel more pressure, because her presence is very known on the line.

And that's where I feel like I could have done better. But also, like, when I think of the percentages in my head, even if I lowered my speed to put the ball in, obviously she's still going to try to crack it. I figured I'd have a better chance going for my first serve anyways, and at least I'd kind of go out on my own terms.

Yeah, I mean, obviously it's my best result here. I would have loved to go further, but, I don't know, I feel like I have to take the positives from it. I played three really good matches.

The last match I played against Jovic was maybe the longest match I have played this year, and I felt physically fine coming into this match. I'm pretty pumped about that.

Leaving here and then going to grass, I'm not very excited about that (smiling), because I feel like I was just getting my footing on clay kind of, towards the end of the French Open.

But, yeah, I mean, a huge part of me is happy to leave here with a smile, knowing that I potentially have a chance to learn more about grass. I'm thankful for all of the spectacular memories I have made.