Tennis star Naomi Osaka has revealed she has regrets about the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Osaka reflected on her time in the Japanese capital in a lengthy post on Instagram.

At the time, the four-time Grand Slam champion had been open about her struggles with her mental health.

She withdrew from the French Open and Wimbledon for this reason, but returned to the tennis court for Tokyo 2020. Osaka played a major role in the Games, lighting the Olympic cauldron during the Opening Ceremony.

The 24-year-old struggled to impress on the court, however, exiting the tournament in the third round.

She has now revealed that she has “regrets about the whole experience", having failed to find the “immense joy” from competing at the Games.

“So the other day I was reflecting on the Olympics, I don’t know if it was because the Winter Olympics are going on now but something had me reminiscing about the time I had,” Osaka wrote.

“I realised that I had regrets about the whole experience, (not the torch lighting though that was 🔥 literally), there was a deep sense of sadness for not having more fun for the time I was there.

“Can’t believe I was at the Olympics in Tokyo and I failed to consistently find the immense joy in that."

Osaka claimed her memories of Tokyo 2020 had taught her a valuable life lesson.

“I think that’s gonna be really important in my life going forward, just enjoying the experiences and making the most out of the time no matter how short or long it is lol,” she wrote.

After her shock exit from Tokyo 2020, Osaka crashed out of the US Open in the third round. She decided to take a further four months away from the tennis court, and returned to action at the start of this year.

Osaka triumphed in her first three matches of 2022, dropping just one set while playing at the Melbourne Summer Set.

The Japanese star then withdrew from the tournament with an abdominal injury, but returned for the Australian Open, where she lost in the third round.

Up next for Osaka is Indian Wells, which gets underway in California on March 7th.

Having slipped down the world rankings to 82nd, Osaka has been granted a wildcard for the WTA 1000 event.

She is a former winner of the tournament, having earned her maiden singles title at Indian Wells in 2018.