At the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, Naomi Osaka was supposed to be one of the big stars in her native Japan and lit the cauldron, but the results on the court were not what she wanted.
Having spent time away from the sport, first for mental health breaks, then because she became a mother, she is now back on the tour, and to the Games at Roland Garros.
She’ll be in action against three-time major champion Angelique Kerber when tennis matches begin on Saturday at the same site that marked such a pivotal place in Osaka’s career: It was at the 2021 French Open that she first mentioned her anxiety and depression — topics rarely addressed publicly at the time — and withdrew from the tournament.
Still just 26, Osaka has accomplished so much — reached No. 1 in the tennis rankings, won four grand slam titles and became the world’s highest-paid female athlete. She helped make mental health a subject of discourse. She’s now a mom.
“She has a much, much different perspective about life. You can see it with the way she’s playing — quite freely and with a smile on her face, sometimes,” her agent, Stuart Duguid, said.
“She’s changed a lot as a person, for the better. In comparison to Tokyo, it’s a double-edged sword, because on one hand, it was probably the best experience of her professional life, lighting that torch. However, the pressure that she was under was probably the most she’s played under. And I don’t think she enjoyed it from that perspective.”
Still — or, perhaps, that is why — Osaka is eager to compete again for Japan, where she was born. “The Olympics are kind of the highlight of sports, in a way,” she said. “It always felt like a celebration of all athletes. Everyone just seems to have a lot of fun.”
There is some irony in that statement.
