Naomi Osaka will make her return to Grand Slam action at this month’s Australian Open and she has a burning desire to win tennis majors again. The former World No.1 has triumphed at Melbourne Park on two occasions and also owns two US Open titles.
Osaka has played just two matches since September 2022 and has not competed in a major since Danielle Collins defeated her at Flushing Meadows in the same year. But just six months after giving birth to her baby daughter Shai, the 27-year-old returned at the Brisbane International, where she was beaten by Karolína Plíšková.
Despite the challenges that lie ahead, the Japanese star is relishing the opportunity to play in another Grand Slam and she sent a strong message to her biggest rivals such as Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff. “I don’t want to put pressure on myself, but I do think I can win a slam this year,” Osaka told Tennis Majors.
“It’s a long season and I’ve beefed up my schedule with more tournaments to give myself more match play. I think that I’ll be in a great place come summer hard court swing.” Osaka is unseeded at the Australian Open and will prove to be a tough test for some of the top players early in the tournament.
She will open her campaign against Caroline Garcia, which is expected to be a compelling contest between two of the game’s most powerful hitters. The likes of French Open winner Swiatek and US Open champion Gauff, are aiming for their maiden Australian Open title.
Gauff, the world No. 3 will start her campaign against Slovakian player Anna Karolína Schmiedlová while Swiatek has a tricky opening encounter against former Australian champion Sofia Kenin. Osaka wants to lay down a marker for the rest of the tour as early as possible, and former world number 7 and presenter Barbara Schett expects her to make a big statement in Melbourne.
“When I watched her, she’s just going to get better and better. And she’s one of those women coming back from pregnancy who has the power, and the power is good in women’s tennis nowadays,” the Austrian said on Eurosport.
The likes of Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek will be watching Osaka ‘s progress at Melbourne Park closely (Image: Getty)
“So I think if she stays fit and healthy, and she hangs in there as well after a few losses probably we have to give her a little bit of time she can definitely do some big damage again in the future.”
Not only is Osaka determined to attain more success in tennis for herself, but more so for her child. She says parenthood has broadened her perspective and she wants her daughter to grow up and see what she was able to achieve on the court.
“Giving birth was the most painful experience of my life and it showed me that I can handle so much more physically than I ever thought,” Osaka added. “I know that I have several more slams in me and I want my daughter to see me play and win. That’s really important to me.”
