Four-time Grand Slam singles champion Naomi Osaka is back on the tennis court and will be competing in the Australian Open beginning this Sunday. Osaka has been on a break, as she is a new mother and dealt with getting a better handle on her mental health. She has seemingly found a new perspective and is ready to get back to winning.
“Honestly, I’m feeling pretty positive,” Osaka said. “Giving birth to my daughter changed my mindset a lot. And it’s also made me realize that my world doesn’t have to revolve around me — which might also be a little selfish too. I guess I’ve just found outer happiness and inner peace.”
Osaka Won Four Majors In Less Than Three Years
Osaka burst onto the scene in 2018, winning her first Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open, defeating Serena Williams in the final. The match was marred by a partisan Williams crowd, an argument between Williams and the chair umpire, and a tearful trophy ceremony that Osaka really didn’t enjoy.
She won three more majors (Australian Open twice, U.S. Open) over the next 28 months, reached No. 1 in the world, became increasingly popular, and the media attention was fast and heavy.
Osaka was the highest-earning female athlete, and all of the demands of being famous on top of the expectations of being the next great tennis champion weighed on her. She openly struggled with issues and cited the need to better handle her mental health.
She struggled with injuries in 2022 and then missed all of the 2023 season while having her first child with her ex-boyfriend the rapper Cordae.
Late in the summer of 2023 Osaka began working tirelessly to get herself ready to return to the tour in 2024, and in early December everything started to click.
“She was suddenly flying over the court and destroying every ball,” her coach Wim Fissette said. “She was incredible. I don’t know if she was inspired by the camera and wanted to show off her movement but that was when I thought, ‘She’s pretty much exactly where she needs to be to compete.'”
Is She Physically And Mentally Ready?
Last week Osaka played the Brisbane International, one of the warmup tournaments heading into the year’s first grand slam. She won her first match, but lost in the second round in a tough three-setter to former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova.
She’ll have two matches under her belt and a lot of on-court time as she heads to Melbourne.
Expecting a win for Osaka is too much. If she’s able to win a few matches and maybe advance to the third or fourth round that would be a major accomplishment.
She’s been off for 15 months, and the sport has changed. World No. 1 Iga Swiatek is no joke. Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, and Coco Gauff (Nos. 2-4, respectively) are all Grand Slam champions.
To pull off a win she’ll have to defeat a lot of seeded players and at least two of these women.
“It’s weird, my second tournament is going to be a Grand Slam,” Osaka said to ESPN. “Normally, I feel like people play way more tournaments to lead into that. But I guess doing well is knowing that there’s nothing more I could have done in that tournament and leaving with a sense of accomplishment — and leaving with a feeling that I can learn so much more.”
That she’s back on the court and in a new place in her life are all positive signs. She can springboard a good result in Australia into a good spring, summer and Olympics in Paris. Once she is match-tough and fit, anything is possible.
