Melbourne: Naomi Osaka is focusing on being more in the moment, more patient and more conscious about what kind of impression she’ll leave, as she prepares for her grand slam comeback at the season’s first major, since 2022.
The 15-day Australian Open, beginning on Sunday, has been hyped as the tournament of comebacks. And Osaka has top billing among the three former No. 1-ranked, former Australian Open champions returning to Melbourne Park for their first time as moms.
The attention on that returning trio — Osaka, Angelique Kerber and Caroline Wozniacki — intensified after another prominent storyline fizzled out when Rafael Nadal’s attempted comeback from a year-long injury layoff lasted three matches in Brisbane.
New mom Osaka, too, competed for the first time in more than a year last week and found herself engaging more with other players, and more eager to acknowledge fans.
“A part of me felt like Shai (her daughter) was watching me,” the four-time major winner said. “I wanted to do my best for her. Also, when I was signing autographs, I was more aware of kids. I see them differently now because now I’m a mom, too, and I can picture Shai being that age.”
In the past, she’s felt enormous pressure. Osaka has been open about her issues with depression and anxiety when she withdrew from the French Open in 2021. She later took extended breaks from the game to protect her mental health. She didn’t play elite-level tennis at all last year, but realised she really did miss it.
“Becoming a mom changed my mindset a lot,” she said. “I think I’m a lot more open-minded, a lot more patient. Also, I feel a lot stronger physically, but I think Shai definitely helped me with the way I view things.”
Osaka won her second US Open title in 2020 and her second Australian Open title in 2021. Not long after, she said, “I closed myself off a lot”.
“I don’t think that was quite fair. ... When people give me positivity and joy, I feel like it’s fair to return it.”
In Brisbane, Osaka didn’t wear headphones around the venue, a choice she described as “character development”. “I feel like I’m more confident with who I am as a person,” she said. “Now I find myself interacting with people.”
Fellow-new mom Kerber’s first competitive win since her daughter Liana’s birth last February was last week in Sydney as a member of Germany’s victorious United Cup team. The three-time grand slam winner said: “For me to start my comeback like this, I mean, it couldn’t be better, to be honest.”
One of her four losses was to top-ranked Iga Swiatek, one of the power players dominating the women’s game. Regardless, the feeling of being back “was amazing; what I really missed”, she added.
AP/PTI
