Naomi Osaka will send a shiver of fear through rivals with unique Grand Slam record

Kevin Palmer
Naomi Osaka Brisbane
Naomi Osaka on court in Brisbane

Naomi Osaka is making her return to WTA Tour action in 2024 and she will be defending some incredible statistics in 2024.

The Japanese star has not played in a Grand Slam event since the 2022 US Open and is returning to the game as a mother for the first time.

Osaka made a winning return to tennis as she beat Germany’s Tamara Korpatsch 6-3 7-6 in the first round of the Brisbane International on New Year’s Day.

The former world No 1 has not played since withdrawing from the Pan Pacific Trophy with a knee injury in September 2021. She became a mother for the first time in July.

Four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka returned to the court in style, breaking Korpatsch to love in the first game and did not face a break point as she clinched the first set in 39 minutes.

Osaka looked set for a routine victory when she broke for a 5-3 lead in the second set, but Korpatsch fought back to take it into a tie break – Osaka winning 11-9 on her third match point.

“The last couple of years that I played before I had my daughter, I didn’t return as much love as I was given,” Osaka said on court after the match. “I feel like that’s what I want to do in this chapter.

“I just really appreciate people coming out and knowing me and cheering for me because I feel like there was a time I was just a little kid trying to watch my role models play.

“So it feels really surreal sometimes to be playing on these courts.”

The 26-year-old has insisted she is setting realistic targets as she comes back to the game, but her record in major tournaments will strike fear into her rivals if she can get to the second week of the Australian Open in Melbourne.

Osaka’s record when she reaches the last eight at a Grand Slam tournament is truly astounding, as she is unbeaten in her four quarter-finals, four semi-finals and four finals at the major tournaments.

That is an unusually prolific record as players often stumble when they get to the final stages of the biggest tournaments of them all and only tend to peak when they have added experience to their talent.

Yet Osaka bucked that trend and she is relishing the chance to create more history by becoming a champion once again as a mother.

“Becoming a mother changed my mentality a lot,” said Osaka.

“I think I’m a lot more open-minded, a lot more patient. But also, I feel much stronger. I think Shai (his daughter) definitely helped me in the way I see things.

“Giving birth was one of the most painful things I’ve ever gone through. It made me realize that, physically, I can take a lot. I want to show Shai that she is capable of anything. That’s one of my main goals and one of the reasons I want to be back. I’m delighted to be back.

“I haven’t played in over a year, so I don’t know. I gave myself the chance to do well, but I didn’t play a match.

“For now, I’m just happy that it’s my first tournament in a long time. I’m going to try to have fun and play well at the same time.”

She also revealed she has returned with a different attitude towards her opponents, as she made this honest confession. 

“I never tried to have conversations with other players before and I think I definitely put a large wall up. Now I find myself interacting with people,” she stated.

“It’s just really cool. If I take myself out of being a tennis player, just seeing everyone working hard, being in the gym, seeing people change over the years too, coming back and appreciating that is cool.”

She also spoke about the demands on her body as she tried to get her body ready for a return to full-time tennis.

“I wasn’t in my own body. I was driving the wrong car, if that makes sense,” she added, reflecting on her first few weeks back on court.

“Slowly, step by step we put in so much work and got myself to where I am now. I wouldn’t have come here if I didn’t feel ready. I didn’t want to disappoint the people who were excited for me to come back and didn’t want to disappoint myself.”

Tennis is welcoming back some big names in the opening month of 2024, with Rafael Nadal and Emma Raducanu joining Osaka on the comeback trail.

Their stories will add to the intrigue as we head towards the opening Grand Slam tournament of the year in Melbourne later this month.

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