Naomi Osaka announces her return to Grand Slam tennis at the 2024 Australian Open after a prolonged pregnancy break
Osaka had completely withdrawn from competitive tennis at the Australian Open 2023.
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Naomi Osaka (Image via Imago)
Naomi Osaka has announced her return to Grand Slam tennis with the 2024 Australian Open. She had announced that she was pregnant with her first child, shortly after her withdrawal from the 2023 Australian Open. However, the former World No.1 has announced her vigorous plan to come back to competitive tennis.
The 25-year-old has not played professionally since September 2022 and had officially announced that she was taking a step back at the Australian Open 2023. The 4-time Grand Slam Champion made a comeback to the 2023 US Open, but not as a player. She made a guest appearance where she was interviewed by ESPN. When asked in the interview if she had a schedule for the next year, she affirmed that she indeed has. When asked to share her plans for the upcoming season, she said, “It’s definitely way more tournaments than I used to play.”
Osaka said some people would be happy with the fact that she was going to frequent the court more often than she used to. The Japanese player also talked about making a comeback. She was going to play more matches than she ever did.
While Osaka had already cut down on the number of tournaments she participated in, on account of mental health, she had completely withdrawn from competitive tennis at the Australian Open 2023. Shortly after her withdrawal in January, she announced to the world that she was pregnant with her first child. She welcomed her first child, a daughter, in July 2023.
Naomi Osaka to play way more tournament than she used to
Osaka, in the interview with ESPN, announced her return to professional tennis. While doing so, she also said that she would be playing more tournaments than she used to.
When enquired about the reason for this, she replied, “Honestly, I think that it’s because I realized that I don’t know how the beginning of the year is going to go for me. ” Osaka also said that she was not familiar with her current level of play and that she had to “ease into” the game. She explained that she is hoping for a very good end of the year and that she was setting herself up for the same.
The former World No.1 had been in her best form prior to her cutting short her season. While Osaka has not been seen back on the court ever since his withdrawal, fans will hope for her return in full fervor.
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Ramya Rangarajan
(267 Articles Published)