Naomi Osaka shares hunger to win more Grand Slams, eyes Paris Olympics on her return to action in 2024
Naomi Osaka is all set to make her tennis comeback after being sidelined for over a year. On that note, she recently outlined her goals for 2024.
Osaka last played at the 2022 Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, Japan. She missed the entirety of the 2023 season due to pregnancy and welcomed a baby girl named Shai with her boyfriend Cordae in July. After that, the former World No. 1 returned to training in October.
She recently spoke to the Japanese broadcaster NHK after one of her training sessions with her coach in Los Angeles. The 26-year-old professed her wish to understand the game better and be more of a force at big tournaments like Grand Slams.
Naomi Osaka particularly pointed out the French Open and the Wimbledon Championships as the Majors where she would like to perform well. She also aims to play at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
"I think I want to be someone that understands the game a lot more. I definitely want to win more Grand Slams and I guess put in more time in the French Open and Wimbledon, and play the Paris Olympics," she said (via Eurosport).
Osaka is a four-time Grand Slam champion, twice at both the Australian Open and the US Open. However, her performance in the other two Majors has been underwhelming by her lofty standards, outlining her struggles on non-hard court surfaces. Her best performances at the Wimbledon Championships and the French Open have been multiple third-round appearances.
At the Olympics, Osaka represented Japan at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games. She was seeded No. 2 and defeated Zheng Saisai of China and Viktorija Golubic of Switzerland before losing to eventual runner-up Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic in the third round.
Naomi Osaka to play at Australian Open 2024
Naomi Osaka will compete at the 2024 Australian Open, where she will enter the main draw with the special ranking of No. 46. She last played at the tournament in 2022, losing to Amanda Anisimova in the third round.
Osaka is a two-time champion at the Melbourne Slam. She first emerged victorious in 2019. Seeded No. 4, the Japanese defeated Magda Linette, Tamara Zidansek, Hsieh Su-Wei, Anastasija Sevastova, Elina Svitolina, Karolina Pliskova and Petra Kvitova en route to her maiden Grand Slam title.
The 26-year-old's second Australian Open title came in 2021. She bettered Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Caroline Garcia, Ons Jabeur, Garbine Muguruza, Hsieh Su-Wei, Serena Williams and Jennifer Brady as the No. 3 seed. This was also Osaka's last appearance in a Grand Slam final till date.