Naomi Osaka details plans to return to tennis after giving birth
Naomi Osaka says a year away from tennis has reinvigorated her and her love for the sport as the star targets her Grand Slam return at the Australian Open in January.
The four-time Grand Slam champion has not played a competitive match since September 2022. The 25-year-old had taken time out to focus on her mental health before she announced in January she was expecting her first child with rapper Cordae. The pair welcomed a baby girl, Shai, in July.
A year out of the spotlight has seen the hunger to be on the court return, and she is planning to have a busy schedule once her comeback begins. “It’s definitely way more tournaments than I used to play, so I think some people will be happy with that," she told ESPN at the US Open.
Osaka has been the queen of the hard courts over her career, winning twice at both Flushing Meadows and the Australian Open, and she believes the latter is the right place to commence her big-time comeback.
“I think it’s because I realised that I don’t know how the beginning of the year is going to go for me," she explained. "I don’t know the level of play and I think I have to ease into it. So, at the very least, I’ll set myself up for a very good end of the year.”
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Osaka took part in a forum in Queens on Wednesday alongside legendary Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps to discuss mental health in sports, and Osaka gave an insight into her mindset throughout her 12 months out of the game. The time away has emboldened her desire to maximise her opportunities for the rest of her career.
Naomi Osaka and US swimmer Michael Phelps took part in a "Mental Health and Sport: Why It Matters" forum t the US Open on Wednesday. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)“It’s definitely been really interesting," she said. "The whole process, it felt long and short at the same time.
“When I stepped away, it was Tokyo, that was the last tournament I played. I just remember watching the Australian Open and being very devastated, because I’ve never missed an Australian Open.
"When I was watching Serena and Venus [Williams], I was thinking: ‘Ah, I probably no way will ever play at their age,’ but sitting here, I’m like: ‘You know what? I might do that actually.’
“It really raised my love for the sport. It made me realise I’m not going to play forever. I have to embrace the times. I’ve been playing tennis since I was three. I don’t think I can predict what I’ll do. I never am able to do that, but it definitely made me appreciate a lot of things that I took for granted.”
The US Open continues in Osaka's absence, with Coco Gauff taking on Karolina Muchova in the first semi-final on Thursday. Madison Keys and Aryna Sabalenka follow at Arthur Ashe Stadium ahead of the final on Saturday.
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