Photo: EPA / MICHAEL REYNOLDS / EFE
Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka, who lit the Tokyo Olympic flame 2020 on Friday, she was already eliminated after suffering a surprise defeat against the Czech Marketa Vondrousova, number 42 in the world rankings.
The Japanese, who came to the competition Olympic as number 2 in the world ranking, fell in two sets (6-1, 6-4) in a match in which her European opponent managed to get her out of her comfort zone with dropouts at the net.
With the defeat of Osaka, the tennis of Tokyo 2020 is left without two of its greatest figures, after Ash Barty, world number one and Wimbledon champion, fell in the first round.
In another surprise news from Tokyo, the gymnastics great Simone Biles was withdrawn from the team competition “after an uncomfortable and low-scoring attempt at the jump, leaving the United States, which was already locked in a tough battle with Russia, in serious trouble as he seeks his third consecutive gold medal ”, reported Yahoo News.
In an official statement on Twitter, the USA Gymnastics Team reported that “Simone Biles has withdrawn from the final team competition due to a medical problem. It will be evaluated daily to determine medical clearance for future competitions. According to the live broadcast of Peacock, Biles’s withdrawal did not It was due to a physical injury, but to a “mental problem that is having”.
Osaka had won their previous two matches with relative ease after a two-month break. But the conditions were different this Tuesday, with the game being played under a roof closed by the rain, he said BBC News.
The tennis player of 23 years was one of the great hopes of Japan to achieve a medal in these games given her previous streak – reigning champion in US and Australian Open -, and because in addition was playing at home.
Tokyo 2020 were his first Olympics and also the first tournament Osaka played after withdrawing from the French Open in June, when he revealed that he had “suffered long bouts of depression ” since winning his first Grand Slam title at 2018.
After impressive victories in the first two rounds, Osaka appeared to be heading for a medal on Tuesday but committed unforced errors against Vondrousova, who only committed 10. “I definitely feel like there was a lot of pressure,” said after the loss. in the Olympic Games before and for the first year it was too much ”.
Breaking News: Simone Biles said she withdrew from the women’s gymnastics team final because she wasn’t in a good place mentally to compete after so much pressure to win. It is not clear whether she will compete in her individual events. https://t.co/J5fiOBxeYu
– The New York Times (@nytimes) July 27, 2021
Thinking of you, Simone! pic.twitter.com/QA1GYHwWTv
– USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) July 27, 2021
Naomi Osaka 🇯🇵 is out of the # Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The Japanese tennis superstar, who is ranked No. 2 in the world, lost to Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic, ranked No. 42, in a stunning upset. https://t.co/1cHrv8SAdS pic.twitter.com/ TqBPxv6d5S
– The New York Times (@nytimes ) July 27, 2021