Once powerhouses of the WTA Tour, both Naomi Osaka and Petra Kvitova have struggled to adapt to the new pace of play since returning to professional competition as mothers, especially at major tournaments.
Both former Grand Slam champions were eliminated in the opening round of the 2025 Indian Wells women’s singles tournament. Osaka (2-time Australian Open champion, 2-time US Open champion) lost clearly to Camila Osorio (Colombia, ranked 53rd in WTA) 4-6, 4-6 in just 2 sets.
Meanwhile, Kvitova (2-time Wimbledon champion in 2011 and 2014) lost to French opponent – Varvara Gracheva (ranked 70th in WTA) with a score of 6-4, 3-6, 4-6 in a match that lasted 2 hours and 23 minutes, when she even won the first set.
For Osaka, this was the 4th loss of the season this year. Although she had quite impressive achievements such as at the ASB Classic (Auskland – New Zealand) at the beginning of the season: Winning the first set of the final and then retiring, it is clear that she still has problems…
Osaka admitted after the defeat in a rather extreme way, when answering an interview right on the court: “This is the worst match I have played in my life. Oh, I am very sorry to the people who witnessed this match”.
However, when sitting in front of a crowd of reporters in the press room, the former WTA Queen was less harsh on herself: “I don’t think, in the end, I did well. There were things that I felt extremely unsatisfactory”.
“I can only start practicing serving after a certain period of time and things like that. So, I think considering the current situation, things are still not that bad. But I want to win and continue to participate in tournaments”.
Compared to Osaka, Kvitova’s defeat was less painful. At least, the former Czech tennis champion won the opening set quite well before losing to an opponent who has played more often – all this time.
Remember, Kvitova is ranked 1,448 in the world and only returned to the ATX Open last week, after a 14-month absence due to pregnancy and childbirth. She lost to Jodie Burrage (UK) 6-3, 4-6, 4-6 in her comeback match on February 26, 2025.
Gracheva herself also appreciated Kvitova’s comeback: “Since she recently gave birth, I am very happy that she is taking on the role of both a mother and an athlete. An extremely difficult role.”
“It definitely inspires a lot of sports, athletes all over the world, women too – it’s amazing. Petra – I admire you, you’re the best,” Gracheva praised her opponent.
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