Four days after having the honor of lighting the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics, tennis star Naomi Osaka‘s shot for a medal is over.
The 23-year-old athlete, who is number 2 in the world rankings, drops out of the 2020 Tokyo games after losing to the Czech Republic Marketa Vondrousova in the third round of the tennis competition on Tuesday, July 27th. Marketa, 22, who is in 42nd place, beat Naomi in straight sets with 6-1 and 6-4.
“It’s tough for them to play in Japan and the Olympics as well,” Marketa told reporters after the win, according to the Associated Press. “There’s so much pressure I can’t imagine.”
Naomi, who represented the host country, made a brief statement to the press after the game. In her comments, she said the “size” of the Olympics had been a challenge for her, especially since she had not competed in a tennis tournament since her exercise break in May to focus on her mental health.
