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Naomi Osaka smiles during a practice session on Margaret Court Arena at the Summer Set tennis tournament ahead of the Australian Open in Melbourne. Photo: AP
SportTennis

Naomi Osaka says only goal is to ‘have fun’ after ending four-month absence with Melbourne win

  • Japan’s four-time grand slam champion insists she has ‘regained my feeling of love for tennis’
  • Osaka admits she ‘cared a little bit too much about the results and the rankings’ before taking extended break
Naomi Osaka
Nicolas Atkin
Nicolas Atkin
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Naomi Osaka opened up on how she regained her “feeling of love” for tennis during her four-month break from the sport, after returning with a win ahead of the Australian Open.

The four-time grand slam champion kicked off preparations for her title defence with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over France’s Alize Cornet on Rod Laver Arena, and will next face Maryna Zanevska in the round of 16.

It was the 24-year-old Japanese star’s first outing since a third-round exit at the US Open, which followed a disappointing early departure from the Tokyo 2020 Games, where she had lit the Olympic Cauldron to close out the opening ceremony.

“I only really have one major goal this year, and it’s completely unrelated to results and stuff like that,” Osaka told reporters in Melbourne.

“I want to feel like every time I step on the court I’m having fun. I can walk off the court knowing that even if I lost, I tried as hard as I could.

“I’m the type of person that cared a little bit too much about the results and the ranking and stuff like that. And I just need to find a way to enjoy the game again because that’s the reason why I was playing in the first place.”

Osaka started 2021 by winning her second Australian Open title, but came under scrutiny after withdrawing from the French Open amid an argument over a media boycott for mental health reasons.

She said in the build-up to the tournament she would not attend the obligatory press conferences in Paris, insisting the way journalists questioned players adversely impacted her mental well-being. She was duly fined US$15,000 for not speaking to the press after her first-round win at Roland Garros.

“What probably got me ready again was talking to people,” Osaka added after beating Cornet. “During the off-season I just hung out with my friends and talked to my family a lot. I felt like that was a way of decompressing the pressure I had on myself.

Japan’s Naomi Osaka in action during her round-of-32 match against France’s Alize Cornet in Melbourne. Photo: Reuters

“Then I just slowly started to regain the feeling of love that I had towards the game. It’s not like it ever completely went away, but I felt like it got overshadowed by a lot of emotions that I was feeling just by constantly playing year after year.

“It was just like an extreme build-up, and you just happened to see it all release last year. I don’t really feel the same way. But I’m going into this year a bit more optimistic.”

The former world No 1 Osaka – who burst into prominence with a shock run to her first US Open title over idol Serena Williams in the 2018 Flushing Meadows final – has seen her ranking slide to No 13 during her absence. But she insisted she is happy just to be back on court.

Naomi Osaka signs autographs for fans after beating France’s Alize Cornet. Photo: Reuters

“I actually really thought I wasn’t going to play for most of this year,” Osaka told reporters. “I’m really happy with myself that I love the sport that much because I literally said that I was unsure when I was going to play after the US Open and I’m here right now.

“In the break, I was feeling like I didn’t know what my future was going to be. I’m pretty sure a lot of people can relate to that.

“Of course, you never know what the future holds, but it was definitely an indecisive time. But I’m really happy to be sitting here right now.”

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