“Didn’t return as much love,” An emotional Naomi Osaka clinches her first victory after living through the “new chapter” of motherhood

Naomi Osaka defeats Tamara Korpatsch 6-3, 7-6 (11-9) in the first round of the Brisbane International.

“Didn’t return as much love,” An emotional Naomi Osaka clinches her first victory after living through the “new chapter” of motherhood

Naomi Osaka Interview (Source: Fox News)

Naomi Osaka kicked off her comeback with a sensational win against Tamara Korpatsch in the first round of the 2024 Brisbane International. The Japanese tennis player appeared in her last tournament back in September 2022, and she took a long break after that as she was pregnant with her first child. 

It did not seem like the 26-year-old stepped foot on the court after a year-long break at all, as she completely outplayed the German in her first round. She defeated Korpatsch 6-3, 7-6 (11-9). This dominating victory in her very first match will give Osaka the much-needed confidence to ace this tournament.

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After her win, Naomi Osaka seemed to enjoy her fans calling her name, and she spent some time taking selfies with them. When asked about the same in the on-court interview, the 4-time Grand Slam winner said that before she had her daughter Shai, she did not return much love to the fans that she was given, and she wants to give that back now. 

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Naomi Osaka wants to appreciate people knowing her and cheering for her. She thought that motherhood had changed her and was emotional during the interview. 

I feel like the last couple years I played before I had my daughter I didn’t return as much love as I was given. That’s what I want to do on this chapter. I just really appreciate people coming out & people knowing me and cheering for me. There was a time I was a little kid just trying to watch my role models play.
She said.

Naomi Osaka faces Karolina Pliskova in the second round 

Osaka will face Karolina Pliskova in the second round of the tournament, and this is set to be a difficult battle for her. She does not have a great record against the Czech player. 

The two have played a total of five matches against each other. Osaka won two of them, while Pliskova won three. Thus, World No. 38 does have an advantage when it comes to records. 

Naomi Osaka (L), Karolina Pliskova (R)
Naomi Osaka (L), Karolina Pliskova (R) (Source: Wikipedia, Tennis.com)

Pliskova emerged victorious the last time these two faced each other and coincidentally, that too was at the Brisbane International back in 2020.

However, she is no longer in the form that she used to be, and like Osaka, she is also coming out of a wrist injury that forced the Czech to end her 2023 season early. Thus, she remains the favorite in this match despite having a poor record against her opponent. 

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