Osaka Reflects on Tennis Career and Future

Naomi Osaka stated that she is "not far off" the form that secured her four Grand Slam titles, while admitting she has considered quitting and frequently reflects on her future. The 29-year-old Japanese tennis star won both the US Open and Australian Open twice from 2018 to 2021, during a remarkable start to her career that elevated her to number one in the world. In 2021, she took a break from the sport to focus on her mental health and later stepped away for another 15 months after becoming pregnant, returning in 2023 following the birth of her daughter.

Osaka expressed that she would retire from tennis if her three-year-old daughter, Shai, requested her to do so, despite her recent ascent in world rankings and her challenge for major titles. "It’s tough, sometimes I look towards my future and I often wonder how long I’m going to play," said Osaka as she prepared for the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo. "Because if my daughter did say she didn’t want me to travel as much, I’m not the type of person to ignore that."

Acknowledging that her mindset has significantly changed with age and the additional responsibilities of motherhood, Osaka remarked that "my daughter is my biggest priority." She indicated that while she puts as much energy as possible into tennis, she cannot dedicate all her time to it. "If I think about it in certain ways, I’m really proud of where I am now because it’s not like I can dedicate my entire time to the sport."

Osaka returned to the world ranking at 19th and is the seventh seed at this week’s tournament, where she faced Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in the opening round. Earlier this year, she beat top seed Aryna Sabalenka during her run to the quarter-finals of Wimbledon, after being the runner-up at Bad Homburg. Additionally, she reached the last 16 at both the French Open and US Open, and made it to the semi-finals in Washington and the quarter-finals in Toronto during the North American hardcourt swing. Her journey at Flushing Meadows concluded against the eventual champion Elena Rybakina.

“I genuinely don’t feel like I’m that far off,” Osaka stated about her path to winning titles again. “I think there are certain instincts that I don’t want to say I lost, but maybe I forgot and I’m kind of relearning, but yeah, I don’t think - I hope - I’m not far off. I think I built a pretty solid base and I’m just excited to see if I can continue learning and going further in tournaments.”

In Tokyo, Osaka is set to face formidable competition, notably from Kazakhstan’s world number one Rybakina, who recently won her fourth title of the year at the Ningbo Open in China.