“She’ll know that I tried my best,” Naomi Osaka resets the biggest 2024 goal after Australian Open but she’s not playing for herself

Naomi Osaka is all ready to get back on the court and compete with full force.

Naomi Osaka (Via: Imago)

Naomi Osaka is convinced that she will keep doing her best on the court, knowing that her daughter Shai will understand her hard work someday. The former World No. 1 welcomed her first baby in July last year with her boyfriend Cordae, and a month later, she is yet to feel the rhythm.

The former US Open champion has lost two out of her last three games, making it difficult for her to get enough playing time to get to her best after a year and a half off the court. However, the new mum is hopeful that at the Abu Dhabi tournament, the tide can change its course.

As per the tennis professional herself, being a mother means that she is not only playing for herself but also for the sake of her daughter.

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That’s something I’m still learning to deal with. In Australia, it was really tough. I think that would be the main reason why I was so upset. But I think now I’m doing better and I’m learning you can’t win every week, and you can’t really control certain things. You can only control how much work you put in.

Said the Japanese-Haitian star told The National.

"I can be better and I hope to be better"

Naomi Osaka tells The National that she is aiming high and putting in the work ahead of her games at the Mubadala Open tournament after her defeat in Australia – which she admits left her with a "little bit of self-doubt". pic.twitter.com/J6n24mEDGK
— The National (@TheNationalNews) February 5, 2024

For me, regardless of the outcome, I think Shai will know – well she won’t know now, she’s just doing her own thing, but she’ll know that I tried my best and the only intent was for her life to be better.

Continuing further, she added

Meanwhile, Osaka’s big goal this comeback season is to win titles, perhaps a Grand Slam, which is no surprise from a four-time Grand Slam champion and former World No. 1 herself. With that being said, there is no denying that her fans are eagerly waiting for her banging comeback, hoping she realizes her form one game at a time.

Also Read: Novak Djokovic will finally set foot in American soil to play the 2024 Indian Wells after years of controversies

Naomi Osaka reveals that her 2024 Australian Open outing was “unfortunate”

Naomi Osaka’s Australia Open campaign ended unfortunately in the first round itself, after losing to former World No. 4 Caroline Garcia.

Even though the Japanese star showed how much she could compete at the highest level, the French star was too much for her to begin a major tournament.

I guess not doing so well in Australia, which was unfortunate. But I think I need to play as many matches as possible and I’m hoping that I’m able to find a rhythm here. 
She told The National ahead of the start of her Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open campaign.

Her first WTA tournament this year in Brisbane ended with a second-round defeat to former World No. 1 Karolina Pliskova. However now, she has a chance to put that behind her when she takes on American Danielle Collins in the first round of the Abu Dhabi tournament. If she wins, she will then face top seed Elena Rybakina in the second round.

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Vitasta Singh

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Vitasta is the Content Editor for the Tennis, NFL, eSports divisions at FirstSportz. Experienced editor with a demonstrated history of working in the content writing industry. With over 1000 articles under her belt and 2.5+ years of experience, she has taken up pieces ranging from stable pieces, opinion pieces to light-hearted content. Skilled at multitasking and have a sharp eye for details (grammar, spelling, tonality, etc). Vitasta has previously worked with some of the top media organizations like Essentially Sports, Sportskeeda, and more. When not working, you will find her exploring new things, trying out different cuisines, cuddled up with a good romantic, suspense novel and binge-watching psychological thrillers.