Naomi Osaka says she is “not far off” the form that brought her four Grand Slam titles, but she admits she has thought about quitting and often ponders her future. The 29-year-old Japanese star last won a major at the Australian Open in February 2021.
Osaka twice won both the US Open and the Australian Open between 2018 and 2021, during a glittering start to her career that took her to number one in the world. She took time out of the sport in 2021 to prioritize her mental health, then stepped away for another 15 months after becoming pregnant. She returned in 2023 following the birth of her daughter.
Thoughts on retirement
Osaka now says she would quit tennis if her three-year-old daughter, Shai, asked her to, even as she has climbed back up the world rankings and once again challenged for major titles.
“It’s tough, sometimes I look towards my future and I often wonder how long I’m going to play,” said Osaka, as she prepared to take part in the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.
“Because if my daughter did say she didn’t want me to travel as much, I’m not the type of person to ignore that.”
Osaka acknowledged that her mindset has changed a lot with age and the extra responsibilities that come with parenthood. “My daughter is my biggest priority,” she said.
“I try my best to put as much energy as I can into tennis,” she said. “I wouldn’t say I’m part-timing it, but my entire day doesn’t consist of that.
“If I think about it in certain ways, I’m really proud of where I am now because it’s not like I can dedicate my entire time to the sport.”
Back among the contenders
Osaka has battled her way back up to 19th in the world and is the seventh seed at this week’s tournament in Tokyo, where she plays Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in the opening round.
Earlier this year, Osaka beat top seed Aryna Sabalenka on her way to the quarter-finals of Wimbledon. She had finished runner-up in the preceding grass tournament at Bad Homburg and also reached the last 16 of the French Open and US Open. During the North American hardcourt swing, she made the semi-finals in Washington and the quarter-finals in Toronto. Her run at Flushing Meadows ended only at the hands of eventual champion Elena Rybakina.
Asked whether she can get back to winning titles, Osaka was optimistic. “I genuinely don’t feel like I’m that far off,” she said.
“I think there are certain instincts that I don’t want to say I lost, but maybe I forgot and I’m kind of relearning, but yeah, I don’t think – I hope – I’m not far off.
“I think I built a pretty solid base and I’m just excited to see if I can continue learning and going further in tournaments.”
Other results
Osaka is in the opposite half of the draw in Tokyo from Kazakhstan’s world number one, Rybakina, who arrives after winning her fourth title of the year at the Ningbo Open in China. The defending champion powered past Canada’s Leylah Fernandez 6-2 6-2 in Sunday’s final to claim her first tournament victory since last month’s US Open.
Elsewhere, Daniil Medvedev successfully defended a title for the first time in his career. He beat Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-7 (6-8) 6-1 6-3 in the final of the Almaty Open, earning his 25th men’s singles crown and fourth of this season.
At the Lyon Open, the British pair of Lloyd Glasspool and Julian Cash beat France’s Theo Arribage and Albano Olivetti 4-6 6-3 10-8 in the men’s doubles final. The win was their 12th ATP title together.