Naomi Osaka announced her pregnancy last January, when she withdrew from playing the Australian Open. The Japanese, who had already stopped for some time out of tennis due to off-court factors, just after discovering she was pregnant, decided to skip the entire tennis season with the aim of coming back stronger than before in 2024.
She said: “I really want to play again, when I found out I was pregnant I said to myself: OK, after that, I will definitely play better. I am convinced that this baby will inspire me to try even harder and give my best.” Osaka has never hidden her great sporting ambitions, the four Grand Slams she won confirm this, and her desire is precisely to conquer other Majors in the coming seasons.
She explained: “Is my return in doubt? No. I want to win eight more Grand Slams and try to win the gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. It’s one of the goals that excites me the most about returning to the sport.” . I took a break, but I always feel very competitive and full of desire to win the most important tournaments in my sport again.
Returning to the WTA Tour is not a project, it is a very serious and planned commitment. See you at the Australian Open in Melbourne.” Can Naomi really win 8 more Grand Slams? The goal is ambitious, and difficult. Serena Williams, after her pregnancy, played 4 Grand Slam finals, losing them all.
But she with almost sixteen more than the Japanese. Naomi, after the mental health problems that exploded in 2021, has never returned to the same tennis player as before. She was already struggling long before her pregnancy.
Getting competitive again after her pregnancy will be difficult for her. With the competitors who will be in physical shape, Naomi will absolutely have to solve her physical and psychological frailties, otherwise the 8 Grand Slams will be just a dream.
But seeing her again on a tennis court will be a joy.
Osaka has never stopped training and, in a later deleted Instagram post, she appeared on the tennis court alongside American legend Andre Agassi. There has not yet been talk of a possible sporting collaboration between the two and only time will provide the appropriate answers.
For all tennis fans, the Osaka-Agassi duo could certainly be an interesting novelty. The Japanese, as she reiterated in various interviews, will return to the field regularly in 2024 and has already put the Australian Open in her sights.
