Sep 4, 2025; Flushing, NY, USA; Naomi Osaka (JPN) waves to the crowd while leaving the court after her match against Amanda Anisimova (USA) (not pictured) in a women's singles semifinal of the 2025 US Open tennis championships at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

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‘I Don’t Feel Sad’ – Naomi Osaka Inspired for Grand Slam Success Despite US Open 2025 Semifinal Heartbreak

Naomi Osaka has a lot to be proud of after the US Open semifinal exit.

One of the most basic realities of playing a sport is loss. You can’t always win; sometimes you need to accept those heartbreaking losses and still keep moving forward. For Naomi Osaka, her US Open semifinal loss against Amanda Anisimova was such a heartbreaking affair. Until the third set, the Japanese player was in the driver’s seat but couldn’t get the finishing touch. While it seems like a giant missed opportunity, Osaka has found a great lesson from this loss.

I had fun, hope you did too 💜 pic.twitter.com/F7UZm6e0l3
— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) September 2, 2025

US Open Loss Surprisingly Motivates Naomi Osaka

Naomi Osaka has been on the other side of this. The 4-time Grand Slam champion knows what it means to win but what it means to lose as well. A few years ago, Osaka was forced to take multiple breaks to deal with her mental health issues, and slowly she has worked on those problems. The evidence of it came after her heartbreaking loss and the way she’s dealing with it.

Naomi Osaka says she’s not sad after losing to Anisimova at U.S. Open:

“I don’t feel sad. I just feel like I did the best that I could. It’s honestly kind of inspiring for me. It makes me want to train and try to get better.”

Great outlook. ❤️

pic.twitter.com/uQ5CcoJsqK
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 5, 2025

“Honestly I don’t feel sad. It’s really weird. Well, it’s not weird, because I just feel like I did the best that I could,” Naomi Osaka said after the match. “Honestly, it’s kind of inspiring for me, because it makes me just want to train and try to get better, and hopefully just give it my very best shot again and see what happens.” Those are certainly some inspiring words.

Osaka has been trying to regain her old dominance after taking a maternity break from tennis. The former world No.1 is slowly getting her groove back. However, Osaka still isn’t playing at her absolute best but certainly a semifinal in the US Open could become a catalyst for more success for her. Especially because Osaka dominated almost the entire match.

Amanda Anisimova Praises the Japanese Star

It was a gruelling 3-hour-long battle between Naomi Osaka and Amanda Anisimova. The momentum seemed to be with Osaka, who broke Anisimova’s multiple serves and forced a tiebreaker in the second set. But then things derailed quickly after Osaka’s three consecutive errors that gave Anisimova the lead and stretched the match to the third set.

However, it was obvious to Anisimova that she had to dig deep if she wanted to beat Osaka. That’s what she revealed after the match while praising Osaka. “Naomi is playing amazing tennis,” said Anisimova in her post-match interview. “She’s back where she belongs. I told her I am so proud of her after having a baby and playing at this level, it’s insane. She was really giving me a run for the final. I wasn’t sure I’d make it past the finish line, I tried to dig deep and it was a huge fight out there today.”

Certainly, that’s a big evidence that Naomi Osaka is slowly regaining her momentum. That’s great news for tennis fans, but certainly a cause for worry for her competitors.

Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

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Sanskar Dubey

A passionate sports fan since childhood, it was always my dream to cover the peak of human potential. Baseball, Tennis, and Football (or Soccer) have been closest to my heart. From Rafael Nadal’s never-say-die attitude to Roger Federer’s beautiful backhand, I’ve seen it all. Prior to the Playoffs, I’ve worked in EssentiallySports and Pro Football and Sports Network.