Naomi Osaka’s Grand Slam Comeback: Ambitious & Living Life in the Fast Lane

The former world number 1 disappeared from the scene for almost a year and a half. Now she is making her comeback to the Grand Slam tournaments in Melbourne. Osaka is ambitious. She still lives life in the fast lane.

Naomi Osaka has not lost her feel for the ball and her enormous power.

Robert Prange / Getty

It’s that time again when tennis professionals from the other side of the world send home selfies with little koalas in their arms and post them on their social media accounts. It’s midsummer in Australia. The tennis season has just started. And while people brave the cold in Central Europe, the best players down under occasionally enjoy the much-described lightness that makes Australia so popular.

Naomi Osaka was also seen posing with Australia’s national animal in a park. The American-Japanese dual citizen clearly enjoyed the cuddly moments. She returned to the big tennis stage at the preparatory tournament two weeks ago in Brisbane.

The former number 1 in the women’s world rankings had disappeared from the scene for almost a year and a half. She played her last match on the tour in September 2022. Earlier in her career, Osaka had complained of depression and anxiety and later took an extended break to protect her mental health.

In the course of her comeback, she recently said: “I have also taken breaks from sport before, but this time it was the longest break from tennis of my life. And I think that gave me a new perspective: I won’t be able to play tennis forever. You have to enjoy the years you still have to play.”

There really could have been easier starting tasks for Osaka in Melbourne

This new perspective has a lot to do with her little daughter Shai, who was born in July 2023 under difficult conditions. Children change everything. Particularly with tennis professionals who, as individual athletes, are forced into a tight training corset and the same routines and lead a rather one-dimensional life as an athlete. But that’s it for Osaka. She’s just now really realizing what it means to be a working mother. But how good can someone be who hasn’t been on the court for so long and returns as a “working mum”?

In Brisbane she won her first match after the long break. In the second round she had a big fight with Karolina Pliskova before she was eliminated after three hard-fought sets. “It really feels very good to be back,” said the winner of four major titles afterwards – and followed up with the telling sentence: “To be honest, I’m very proud of myself.” What Osaka meant by that: She had managed to recover athletically and mentally while at the same time fully caring for a baby. There is hardly a greater achievement.

This Monday the 26-year-old will face Caroline Garcia at the Australian Open; There could have been easier starting tasks for Osaka in Melbourne than a duel with the number 16 seeded Frenchwoman. But even if Osaka were to be eliminated, the most difficult part of her journey is already behind her. Osaka made the switch in her head. Actually, every upcoming match is an encore.

The Japanese, who was already considered the new face of women’s tennis, now needs experience on the court. She first has to learn to “look beyond the net” again – as tennis professionals like to say. It’s about things like hand-eye coordination and the right timing on the groundstrokes. After all, Osaka has not lost her feel for the ball and her enormous power.

Osaka also prepared for her comeback with her physiotherapist Florian Zitzelsberger. The German is one of the most recognized coaches on the tour. He told the NZZ: “What makes working with her so inspiring is her starting point. She wants to return to number 1 in the world, she wants to win Grand Slams. She gives me the impression of someone who is completely balanced and content. She is very down-to-earth, mature and draws everything positive from her new role as a mother.”

Zitzelsberger already worked with Osaka in 2022. Now the 34-year-old is their most important whisperer alongside trainer Wim Fissette. Zitzelsberger says: “We are currently working primarily on making Naomi a player who can switch from defense to offense more effectively. That way, even if she’s forced into a defensive position, she can still pack an offensive punch.”

Nothing but appreciation and love 💗@naomiosaka shares how she’s been mentored through motherhood by American track & field legend @allysonfelix @justwsports pic.twitter.com/mlTeHXELe5

— wta (@WTA) January 13, 2024

Years ago, Time Magazine included her in its list of the 100 most influential people

Off the court, Osaka no longer has to fool anyone; she has been in the fast lane for a long time. At just 26 years old, she is already considered a successful businesswoman. She took a similar path to Serena Williams. During her break from tennis, Osaka set up a media company and also markets a few well-known tennis professionals through her own agency.

A few years ago, Time Magazine included her in its list of the 100 most influential people. Osaka has now slipped to position 833, but that is a distorted image. The Japanese woman, about whom a three-part Netflix documentary was released in 2021, has experienced all the ups and downs of a globally omnipresent sports career in a way that hardly any other tennis player has.

As far as her sporting performance is concerned, there was great confidence in those around her before her comeback at the Grand Slam tournaments. Coach Zitzelsberger said their “new winning mentality” inspired the entire team. She “just wants to get started.” The humble Osaka can do anything in the tennis year 2024.

2024-01-15 06:00:30
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