Naomi Osaka highlighted that winning Grand Slams is definitely going to be her goal when she returns and revealed that she wants to learn more about the game in the second phase of her career. Osaka, 26, will be playing her first tournament since 2022 September when she takes to the court at the Brisbane International in the first week of the 2024 season.
Osaka, who announced in January that she was pregnant, welcomed her first child in July. Osaka, who has two Australian Open and two US Open titles in her collection, wants more Grand Slams and she is specifically targeting to make a breakthrough at the French Open and Wimbledon.
“I definitely want to win more Grand Slams and I guess put in more time in the French Open and Wimbledon, and play the Paris Olympics. I want to be someone that understands the game a lot more. In the first chapter of my tennis I kind of got away with just being myself and playing with my instincts,” Osaka said.
Osaka playing for her daughter Shai
Over the last couple of months, Osaka has said several times that wanting to do well for her baby Shai is going to be a big source of motivation for her. A few weeks ahead of her comeback, Osaka admits she does better when her motivation is doing good for someone else. “I’ve never been a person that’s really good at playing for myself, if that makes sense.
So I kind of like the feeling of having the responsibility of having to take care of Shai and wanting to show her around the world. I kind of feel more like I’m playing for her,” Osaka said. Osaka’s comeback will start at the Brisbane, which takes place between December 31 – January 07.
In Brisbane, Osaka will be making her third main draw appearance. Previously, Osaka reached the Brisbane semifinals in 2019 and 2020.