Naomi Osaka is one of tennis’ brightest stars, and one of the active players with the most Grand Slam titles under her belt.
It almost feels like her career has been split in two after the mesmeric start she enjoyed, winning four majors split across Melbourne and New York.
However, since taking some time off from the sport, and then having her first child, 2024 marked a return to action for the 26-year-old, and the start of the second half of her career.
It will not be an overnight process, but Naomi Osaka clearly has more than enough quality to compete at that level again.
John McEnroe and Chris Evert discuss Naomi Osaka
Speaking on ESPN’s pre-US Open press release, John McEnroe and Chris Evert made up a star-studded pairing enlisted to comb over all the big topics going into the event.
When asked about Osaka, neither held back in their assessment, with the former leading the charge in his assessment of the Japanese tennis star.
He noted: ‘Everything she stepped aside with the mental health issues, people look at her even more carefully, which is maybe the opposite of what she wanted.’
Evert replied: ‘I agree with you.’
Then, McEnroe continued: ‘The bottom line is I thought Simone Biles went through a similar thing. The two of them are somewhat similar in what they went through. Simone came out the other end. She seems to have more of a support system within her own team than Naomi does in tennis, because she’s on her own. So that makes it harder, I think, in my personal opinion for Naomi, to sort of feel the love in a way, and feel good about what she’s doing. She probably looked at Simone Biles and said: “Hey, she went from I couldn’t perform in Japan to I won the Olympics.”
‘She’s got the talent. It’s all about what Chrissie said, where her head is at, how deep she’s willing to dig, enjoy the competition. That part is the key. The game is there, but she has to find that in order to win another major. Could she? I think she could. Like Chrissie said, I don’t know if she will. It depends on whether or not she’s able to harness that.’
Naomi Osaka could make a big comeback at the US Open
Although she has not really threatened to win any titles across this season, it has still been a supremely successful one for Osaka.
Making great strides, and proving that she can in fact compete with those at the top of the sport still, there is no reason why this upcoming US Open could not be the tournament where she finally regains her confidence to compete for elite trophies.
Already the powerful baseline player has two titles at this event, with her preference for hard courts well-documented.
However, in this season of rediscovery, her game has looked decidedly more well-rounded, particularly impressing on the clay of Roland Garros too.
That defeat inspired Osaka to ‘stalk’ Iga Swiatek during the Olympics, seeking to gain more insight into the contemporary world number one.
Osaka will have grand ambitions of a deep run at the US Open, to officially mark her return to the apex of the sport.
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