Naomi Osaka celebrates return to Top 100 following Wimbledon 2024 1R win: "Means a lot, probably more this time out"
On her return to Wimbledon after five years, Naomi Osaka registered a hard-fought win over Diane Parry in the first round. Along with a place in the second round, her triumph helped her get back into the Top 100 rankings after over a year.
Osaka was unranked at the start of the season as she had taken a pregnancy hiatus for a major part of 2023. She was ranked 831 when the Australian Open commenced in January. The Japanese saw a gradual rise in her rankings with consistent tournament appearances.
In 2024, she has reached two quarterfinals with the latest being at the Libema Open in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands, in preparation for Wimbledon.
On Monday, July 1, Osaka took to the All England Lawn Tennis Club to play in the Grasscourt Slam for the first time since 2019. She started the tournament ranked as the World No. 113. The 26-year-old got the better of Parry in the first round 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 to register her first win at Wimbledon since 2018.
The win helped the four-time Grand Slam winner's live rankings shoot up to 96. The last time she was ranked in the Top 100 was in April 2023. The former World No. 1 celebrated her achievement by posting on Threads:
"Guess who's back in the top 100"
She reposted the Thread on her Instagram Story and wrote:
"Also yes. This means a lot to me, probably more this time out."
Naomi Osaka faces 19th seed Emma Navarro in Wimbledon 2024 2R
American player Emma Navarro breezed past Wang Qiang in the first round of Wimbledon 6-0, 6-2. With her win, the 19th seed set up a clash against Naomi Osaka in the second round of the tournament.
For Osaka, the comeback at Wimbledon was fun and stressful.
“I mean, for me, it felt really fun and really stressful at the same time,” she said after her match.
“It was fun because the crowd was so engaged. It was just really fun. It felt like an arena. The match I think was a little up-and-down, but I think overall it was something that I can take a lot away from... I’m just excited to play my next match,” she added.
The head-to-head record between Osaka and Navarro currently stands at 0-0 as they have never met in a professional match. Their first encounter is set to take place on Wednesday, July 3.