"New young fresh players have come up": Naomi Osaka has to contend with new established WTA names in return says Jimmy Connors

Former world No. 1 Jimmy Connors shared his thoughts on Naomi Osaka's return to the 2024 Australian Open and her reintegration into the WTA Tour after a 15-month hiatus due to her pregnancy and the subsequent birth of her daughter in July 2023.

The 26-year-old Japanese player competed in her first tournament a week ago at the Brisbane International. She secured a victory against Tamara Korpatsch with a score of 6-3, 7-6(9), but faced a defeat in the second round against the 16th seed Karolina Pliskova with a score of 6-3, 6-7(4), 4-6. Despite the second-round exit, Osaka showcased an impressive level of play in her initial matches, entering the Australian Open in a competitive state. She previously won the tournament in 2019 and 2021.

According to the former American coach, as expressed on his podcast Advantage Connors, the former world No. 1 Japanese player has slim chances of claiming the trophy, and it remains to be seen how she will handle the challenge: “Yeah, having Osaka be what 14 to one (odds to win the Australian Open title) after taking that amount of time off, and I think she had a baby also, right?” Connors said. “So, you know, to come back after that, you're either going to be beyond eager or… I have no idea what to think of that and how she’s going to handle that.”

The American expressed his opinion that despite recently becoming a mother and experiencing significant life changes, it will be intriguing to see her return to the Tour and challenge the current top players: "Unless she took time away and fulfilled a lot of her thoughts, her inner thoughts, and what was important to her. And now she also finds out how important tennis is to her."

“She's very comfortable with the baby and everything that that part of her life brings. And so she says ‘Now you know, I'm gonna get back and give it a go on something else I love.’ And that's the game of tennis. So it will be interesting to see, fun to watch her play,” he added.

Jimmy Connors emphasized that the women's tour has changed with new young protagonists, making it challenging to reclaim a top spot: “A lot of things have happened since she's been away. New, young, fresh players have come up to fill a lot of the spots and she's going to have to contend with that,” he opined.