"That peak against Iga Swiatek gave everyone false hopes"; "Naomi Osaka is sh*t on grass" - Fans worried as Japanese exits Wimbledon 2024 in 2R

Naomi Osaka's 2024 Wimbledon campaign was brutally cut short by a dominant Emma Navarro on Wednesday, July 3. The Japanese appeared confident going into the second-round match against the World No. 17, but after a fairly even start to the encounter, it was all one-way traffic in Navarro's favor. Later, tennis fans expressed their concerns over the former World No. 1's level of play.

Osaka displayed flashes of her past brilliance against reigning World No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the pair's second-round encounter at the French Open earlier this year. The Japanese, against all odds, found herself in a winning position in the third and deciding set.

However, Swiatek somehow won five games on the spin right at the death and dashed Osaka's hopes. Overall though, there was a feeling among both fans and pundits that slowly, but surely, the four-time Major winner was rediscovering her finest form.

The Japanese started her Wimbledon campaign against Diane Parry, and despite a dominant showing in the opening set, she was thoroughly outclassed by the Frenchwoman in the second. Ultimately though, it was Osaka who prevailed 6-1, 1-6, 6-4, marking her first SW19 win in six years. However, against No. 19 seed Navarro, the former World No. 1 simply crumbled, as the American didn't even need an hour to register her 6-4, 6-1 victory.

Wimbledon R2: [19] Navarro def. Osaka 6-4, 6-1 byu/jovanmilic97 intennis

Fans later took to Reddit and discussed Osaka's loss, with one set of them suggesting that her stellar display against Swiatek at Roland Garros was a one-off.

"That peak against Iga really gave everyone false hopes... still long way to go for Naomi has not won 3 matches back to back since comeback," wrote a fan.

"Osaka has always been an extreme hardcourt specialist so it's not surprising really. Newer fans might have gotten the wrong idea about her surface versatility because of the Iga match at RG but her results on grass and clay even at her peak were shockingly bad," another fan commented.

"Navarro had the exact game to assess whether Osaka had developed the resilience she gave glimpses of against Swiatek. Very sad to see. Good on Navarro though, who did exactly what we knew she would do," another fan chimed in.

Another set of fans pointed out the gaping holes in Osaka's game across clay and grass courts. All four of the Japanese's Major titles have come on hard courts (2018 and 2020 US Open, and 2019 and 2021 Australian Open).

"Naomi is s**t on grass. This result is fairly irrelevant. Let's see how she does on hard," a fan wrote.

"Was Osaka always as bad on grass? Jeez, it was like (Casper) Ruud level of grass performance," wrote another fan, citing ATP player Casper Ruud's example. Ruud, the No. 8 seed in the gentlemen's singles draw, was also ousted in the second round.

"Let's be honest. Naomi's game is a bit outdated. 5 years ago, a strong serve and forehand might have been enough, but today, not necessarily. Look at (Aryna) Sabalenka and (Elena) Rybakina. Despite being taller they move and return much better than Osaka. Naomi's game is too one-dimensional and good tennis players are able to take advantage of her lack of movement and weak return," another fan weighed in.

"I'm a bit disappointed" - Naomi Osaka on second-round loss at Wimbledon 2024

Naomi Osaka wears a dejected look during her second-round loss to Emma Navarro at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships

After the match, Naomi Osaka attended a press conference, where she briefly assessed her swift exit from the 2024 Wimbledon Championships. According to the Japanese, it came as a disappointment to her owing to the desire she had to muster a deep run and the effort she had put into preparing for the prestigious grasscourt Major.

"I’m excited to go back on hard courts but I’m a bit disappointed because I wanted to do really well (at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships) and I put a lot of time into it," Osaka said.

Before the former World No. 1 turns her attention to the hard court swing of the ongoing season, she would want to be at her best for Japan at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Olympics' tennis tournament is set to begin on Saturday, July 27, at Stade Roland Garros.