"I felt like all my joy went away for the sport": Naomi Osaka nearly quit tennis after last tournament and wanted new career direction

Naomi Osaka will return to the courts after 14 months at the WTA 500 Brisbane Open, where she received a wild card. The tournament will take place between December 31, 2023, and January 7, 2024, and will feature the 4-times Japanese Grand Slam champion, who is returning to Australia after two years in preparation specifically to be ready for the Australian Open 2024.

A journalist asked Osaka if she ever thought about leaving tennis: "Was there ever a time when you thought about not coming back to tennis? Given the previous answer, I'd say you missed it a lot & really wanted to come back," the reporter said.

Osaka: “Yeah, I would say right after Tokyo for, like, a month maybe I was thinking about it because I felt like all my joy went away for the sport. I felt like it kind of wasn't fair, both for the people watching & myself. But then I thought.. I've played tennis since I was 3, & there's so many more things that I want to do,” she said.

“Especially with Shai, I want her to see, someone that has big goals & dreams. I think that's really important to have really good role models,” Osaka added. “Also, just learning how to appreciate the sport. I think in the time I had away, I appreciated the sport a lot more.”

“After giving birth, I understood how physical & how much work it takes to get there. I'm very curious to see what happens in my match,” Japanese former world No. 1 concluded.

Thanks to a wild card, she secured direct entry into the main draw and will make her debut in the first round against German Tamara Korpatsch (world No. 84), with whom she has no previous match history. Naomi Osaka shares the draw with top-level players who are also gearing up for the Australian Open. The main contenders include Aryna Sabalenka (world No. 2), Elena Rybakina (No. 4), Jelena Ostapenko (No. 13), and Ludmila Samsonova (No. 16).

After publication we have now learned that Naomi Osaka celebrated her comeback with a win against German athlete Tamara Korpatsch.