Naomi Osaka is back in action for the first time since October as she takes on the ASB Classic in Auckland this week.
Osaka finished 2024 ranked 58th in the WTA Tour rankings, having been unranked at the start of the season.
She had only just taken a lengthy break following the birth of her child, but Osaka managed to impress at stages upon her return, albeit very briefly.
The 27-year-old’s season did, however, then end early, with Osaka withdrawing from the Billie Jean King Cup.
She also withdrew from the Hong Kong Open with a back injury that forced her to retire from her Beijing Open match with Coco Gauff.
Naomi Osaka drops retirement hint after ‘very painful’ 2024 season
The four-time Grand Slam champion has already made a positive return to the court, winning her ASB Classic opener 6-4, 6-4 against qualifier Lina Glushko.
She did, however, drop a retirement hint in her opening ASB Classic press conference, having discussed what would happen if her results failed to meet her high expectations.
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“I don’t think I’m the type of player that would hang around,” she said. “I have a lot of respect for all the players on tour, but the point of my life that I’m at right now, if I’m not above a certain ranking, I don’t see myself playing for a while.
“I’d rather spend time with my daughter if I’m not where I think I should be and where I feel like I can be. I think 2024 humbled me, but I also feel like I grew a lot. I worked way harder than I’ve ever worked before.
“So in that, I guess it was very painful to not get the results I wanted, but I feel like I’m growing and learning and I am really excited for this year (2025).”
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Osaka finished the season with 22 wins and 18 losses as she failed to add to her tally of seven WTA Tour titles.
The former world number one also had a disappointing Grand Slam season, with a first round exit at the Australian Open and second round exits elsewhere.
But her return to the court was made difficult by the draws handed to her, with Osaka losing to eventual champion Iga Swiatek at Roland Garros.
“I played really good matches,” said Osaka. “People still talk to me about my Iga match at the French Open (lost 7-6 1-6 7-5). So I’m glad that I was able to give people memories as well.
“Even though I got injured in Beijing, which was my last tournament, I feel pretty optimistic about how that match would have turned out (against Coco Gauff) and I am excited to play on hard-court again.
“I’ve been playing tennis since I was three, and a huge part of that I owe to my parents, but I never really saw my life doing anything else.
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“Then, when I sat there and had the opportunity to do other things, I realised that I’d rather be playing tennis.
“So it was kind of one of those realisation moments where you feel like you thought you were forced to do something, but in actuality you very much truly loved it.”
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