Naomi Osaka leaves firing range in California after US Open defeat

Naomi Osaka has been spotted leaving a California firing range in photos obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com after taking an indefinite break from tennis following her crushing US Open loss, which topped off a troubling few months for the Japanese sports star. 

The 23-year-old looked downcast as she left The Target Range shooting range in Van Nuys Monday with her boyfriend rapper YBN Cordae. 

Dressed in head to toe black sportswear, she also stopped for some post-shooting fuel, picking up a couple of juices and some food from a store near to her $7 million Beverly Hills mansion.

Osaka’s Labor Day outing came just three days after her shocking defeat to teenager Leylah Fernandez in the US Open Friday night.

Her first Grand Slam return ended dismally as she lost -7, 7-6(2), 6-4 to the 18-year-old Canadian. 

Osaka’s frustration was visible on the court as she smashed her racket during the grueling match before later announcing she would be taking a break from the sport. 

Naomi Osaka has been spotted leaving a firing range in California Monday after taking an indefinite break from tennis

The 23-year-old looked downcast as she left The Target Range shooting range in Van Nuys Monday with her boyfriend rapper YBN Cordae

The tennis star appeared to be looking for a new release for her frustration after crashing out of the US Open Friday

She dressed in head to toe black sportswear, with her hair tied in a bun on top of her head as she was out in California

The tennis star appeared to be looking for a new release for her frustration as she paid a visit to the shooting range over Labor Day weekend.   

She wore her hair on top of her head in a bun under a baseball cap that she took off at one point and sported a small white Louis Vuitton bag across her body.  

On Friday, Osaka left fans questioning when she will pick a racket up again after she announced another break from the sport for the foreseeable future.  

In her post-match press conference, she sobbed as she revealed she had lost some joy in the sport. 

‘Normally I feel like I like challenges,’ she said. ‘But recently I feel very anxious when things don’t go my way. I’m not really sure why it happens.  

‘You could kind of see that. I was kind of like a little kid. I feel like for me recently, when I win I don’t feel happy. I feel more like a relief. And then when I lose, I feel very sad. I don’t think that’s normal.

‘I’m at this point where I’m trying to figure out what I want to do, and I honestly don’t know when I’m going to play my next tennis match. I think I’m going to take a break from playing for a while.’ 

Osaka is seen out and about in California on Labor Day – three days after her US Open defeat to a Canadian teenager 

She also stopped for some post-shooting fuel, picking up a couple of juices and some food from a store near to her $7 million Beverly Hills mansion

Osaka’s Labor Day outing came just three days after her shocking defeat to teenager Leylah Fernandez in the US Open Friday night

She also apologized for throwing her racket mid-match: ‘I’m really sorry about that. I’m not really sure why. I was telling myself to be calm, but I feel like maybe there was a boiling point.’  

Osaka first found herself at the center of a media storm back in May when she refused to attend a press conference at the French Open for mental health reasons. 

The move divided opinion in the sports world and led to her being slapped with fines – and ultimately dropping out of the tournament and Wimbledon the following month.  

She later revealed her personal struggles with mental health issues and told how she deals with anxiety before news conferences.

In August, in her first press conference following the saga, Osaka was left in tears when she was grilled by a reporter over her controversial decision.

Paul Daugherty, a sports columnist for the Cincinnati Enquirer, asked the 23-year-old at the 2021 Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati about her refusal to speak to the press when he said she had benefitted from media attention in her career.

Osaka defended her decision saying it was ‘something I needed to do for yourself.’ 

‘I felt like I holed up in my house for a couple of weeks, and I didn’t know if people would be looking at me in a different way than they usually did before,’ she told him.

But, she then broke down in tears after another question, prompting her press officer to halt the question and answer session.