Smaller things are getting Naomi Osaka’s attention now that she’s preparing for her Grand Slam comeback.
She’s focusing on being more in the moment. More patient. More conscious of who may be watching her play her first major since 2022, and what kind of impression she’ll leave.
The first 15-day Australian Open, set to start Sunday morning (Saturday night in the U.S. ET), has been hyped as the tournament of comebacks. And Osaka has top billing among the three former No. 1-ranked, former Australian Open champions returning to Melbourne Park for their first time as moms.
The attention on that returning trio — Osaka, Angelique Kerber and Caroline Wozniacki — intensified after another prominent storyline fizzled out when Rafael Nadal’s attempted comeback from a year-long injury layoff lasted three matches.
The 22-time major winner has a small tear in a muscle near his surgically repaired hip and and flew home, leaving Novak Djokovic as the only remaining member of the so-called Big Three.
Osaka competed for the first time in more than a year last week; she became a mother in July when her daughter, Shai, was born.
The four-time major winner went 1-1 in Brisbane and found herself engaging more with other players, and more eager to acknowledge fans.
“A part of me felt like Shai was watching me,” she said. “I wanted to do my best for her. Also, when I was signing autographs, I was more aware of kids. I see them differently now because now I’m a mom, too, and I can picture Shai being that age. Yeah, I think while I’m playing, I’m aware of it in the sense that I want to be a good role model for my daughter.”
The 26-year-old Osaka has a Japanese mother and a Haitian father. She was born in Japan and grew up in the U.S. With endorsements and prize money, she’s one of the wealthiest athletes in women’s sports.
In the past, she’s felt enormous pressure. Osaka was open about her issues with depression and anxiety when she withdrew from the French Open in 2021. She later took extended breaks from the game to protect her mental health.
She didn’t play elite-level tennis at all last year, but realized she really did miss it.
“Becoming a mom changed my mindset a lot,” she said. “I think I’m a lot more open-minded, a lot more patient. Also, I feel a lot stronger physically, but I think Shai definitely helped me with the way I view things.”
Osaka won her second U.S. Open title in 2020 and her second Australian Open title in 2021. Not long after, she…
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