We know that Naomi Osaka‘s Wimbledon expectations weren’t high, as she’s still learning to adapt to grass, and the fact that her first-round opponent was world No.39 Yulia Putintseva, the player who had beaten her in straight sets just two weeks ago on the lawns of Birmingham, only made the Japanese’s prospects grimmer. The bad predictions for the second seed became reality on the first day of the Grand Slam, as the favorite, at least on paper, lost 7-6(4) 6-2 to her unseeded Kazakh opponent.
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 01: Naomi Osaka of Japan reacts in her Ladies' Singles first round match against Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan during Day one of The Championships - Wimbledon 2019 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 01, 2019 in London, England.