‘I’m patiently impatient”: Naomi Osaka won’t let injury derail her plans for greatness
Naomi Osaka might have suffered a tournament ending abdominal injury – but she isn’t letting that derail her future grand slam plans.
Osaka’s year got off to a promising start when she reached the final of the Auckland WTA tournament in January – her first final since returning from maternity leave 12 months ago.
But after winning the first set 6-4 against Clara Tauson, Osaka was forced to retire because of an abdominal injury.
Days later, after a strong showing in the Australian Open, where she bested France’s Caroline Garcia in three sets and then Czech Republic’s Karolína Muchová, Osaka was again forced to retire injured from her third-round match against Belinda Bencic.
“I think I’m playing really well, even from last year, the end of last year. I got injured there too. But I’ve beaten some really good players. So I hope that I can continue that trend,” she told CNN Sport.
Naomi Osaka receives medical attention during her women’s singles match against Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic. Yuichi Yamazaki/AFP/Getty Images
The 27-year-old has big plans for the future, and this includes seeking her fifth major title – which would be her first since becoming a mother.
“I have a lot of goals going forward. For as long as I can play, I really want to win Wimbledon and Roland Garros (the French Open) and get a career grand slam,” she said.
“It’s interesting when I hear from an outside perspective because, of course, all of the achievements (I’ve had so far) are great, but I always feel like there’s a lot more to do.”
Osaka next returns to the court at the MGM Rewards Slam in Las Vegas on March 1, where she will face off with women’s world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
“What I’m looking forward to the most is the atmosphere. I’ve been to Las Vegas before, but obviously never to play any tennis. So that should be really exciting.
“I rarely play exhibitions, and it’s also the lead up into Palm Springs, Indian Wells. So I hope that you know, there’s a lot of really good tennis to be played,” she said.
Another reason world No. 54 Osaka is excited to head to Indian Wells in the coming weeks is the return of Venus Williams. In her interview with CNN, the Japanese star expressed admiration for Williams, who recently received a wild card entry for next month’s BNP Paribas Open, in what would be the 44-year-old’s first event in almost a year.
Williams has not played since losing in the first round of the Miami Open in March 2024 and hasn’t won a match on tour since August 2023.
“She’s probably the reason why I started playing,” Osaka told CNN.
“It makes me really excited to go to the tournament and see her, and I feel like she probably doesn’t know how many people she’s inspired because even she inspired me – and through me, there’s probably other kids that are inspired. So it keeps the legacy going,” she said.
‘There’s always another day’
One thing that has been a surprise to Osaka – and a boon – is motherhood, which has helped the four-time grand slam winner to see the bigger picture, she explained.
Venus Williams competes in the Miami Open in Miami Gardens, Florida, on March 19, 2024. Megan Briggs/Getty Images/File
“What I’ve learned about myself is that I’m patiently impatient,” she explained.
“Becoming a mom, I’ve learned to become a lot more patient and sort of understand that I can’t control everything, but I can only do my best in certain situations and hope that the outcome is positive, but if not, then there’s always another day,” she added.
Osaka has had extended breaks from competitive tennis prioritizing her mental health, before then becoming a mother to daughter Shai, who she shares with rapper Cordae.
“I feel like it’s really important to speak about mental health, because at least for me, when I’m down, I usually feel like I’m alone and I’m the only person that feels in that specific way,” she told CNN.
“But then you realize that there’s other people that feel the same, and you don’t feel so isolated anymore. So I think it’s important for people to keep talking about it, treat it more like physical health. I think people treat physical health a lot better than mental health.”
Her daughter Shai, she explained, could have tennis potential.
“She has a lot of energy, like a lot. I think she’d be a really good tennis player. She’s just the happiest girl.
“She has a miniature racket, so she does pick that up a lot, but I haven’t put her on a tennis court yet,” she added.
Source: edition.cnn.com