© Getty Images Sport – Bradley Kanaris
Naomi Osaka reveals she just now realized that running across tall bridges “scares me really bad” as the Japanese chewed on her t-shirt while doing sprint sections on the Story Bridge in Brisbane.
This week, former world No. 1 Osaka started her post-pregnancy comeback at the Brisbane International. While in Brisbane, the 26-year-old Japanese decided to visit the Story Bridge, which is the largest steel cantilever bridge in Australia. The total length of the Story Bridge is 777 meters, while the width and height are 24 meters and 74 meters, respectively.
At one point during her time on the bridge, Osaka started covering her eyes so she couldn’t see the edges and there was also a moment when she started fearing “it was a wrap” for her.
On Instagram, Osaka uploaded a photo of the bridge she had taken and wrote: “Fun fact: I have a fear of heights. Another fun fact which I didn’t know until today – Running across tall bridges scares me really bad. I had to sprint sections and hold my hands over my eyes so I couldn’t see the edges. I also had to chew on my t-shirt because halfway through I really thought it was a wrap for me. I made it across, but never again.”
Osaka’s Brisbane run ended on Wednesday
On the first day of 2024, Osaka officially returned to action by playing against Tamara Korpatsch in Brisbane. In her first match since 2022 September and also her first match as a mom, Osaka was victorious as she beat Korpatsch 6-3 7-6 (9).
After making a winning return to tennis, Osaka was also close to beating a big name in her first tournament back – the Japanese met former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova in the Brisbane second round on Wednesday. Even though Osaka made a positive start and won the first set, she couldn’t manage to keep the same level for the remainder of the match as Pliskova came back to win 3-6 7-6 (4) 6-4.
All in all, it was a positive return to tennis for Osaka, who will be making her next appearance at the Australian Open.
