Naomi Osaka lost to World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the fourth round of the French Open on June 1, 2026, with a score of 5-7, 3-6. This marked Osaka's third consecutive loss to Sabalenka, bringing her all-time record against the Belarusian to 1-3. When questioned about her mindset following the defeat and the challenge of closing the gap between herself and Sabalenka, Osaka stated that she no longer gets overly disappointed by such losses. She expressed that while she will continue to try her best, she recognizes that "hitting a ball doesn't really matter" in the grand scheme of things. This sentiment, coming from a four-time Grand Slam winner, was described as uninspiring.