© Kelly Defina / Stringer Getty Images Sport
Naomi Osaka started playing in official matches again about a month ago, after a year spent out of the court due to her maternity leave. The Japanese played her last match against the Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia, at the Australian Open 2024, where she was eliminated by the former winner of the WTA Finals.
This week, Osaka will participate in the WTA 500 in Abu Dhabi, where she will try to get points and, above all, accumulate pace, to rediscover her tennis after the long period of inactivity. Playing helps to play and get back into psycho-physical shape.
“I think right now I need to play as many games as possible. I’m learning to see that you can win every week and that the job is only in my hands. I’m still learning to deal with this problem, even though it was very difficult in Australia. This is the main reason why I am very angry.
My level is improving every day, I think and hope I can be better as the weeks go by. I’m always the type of person who prefers to set very high goals and, if I manage to reach even just 25%, that 25% will seem incredible to me. It would have been unrealistic to go back and say my goal was to reach the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam,” she told The National News.
