“I don’t want to come back if I can’t play to a certain level” – Naomi Osaka

Former world No 1 Naomi Osaka is set to return to the tennis circuit in January six months after giving birth to her first child. The four-time Grand Slam winner has set high expectations for herself for her comeback, saying that she would not want to come back if she cannot play a certain level.

In a new interview with InStyle magazine, Osaka also spoke about her desire to be a good role model for her daughter Shai, as she makes her comeback.

“I don’t want to come back if I can’t play to a certain level. I’ve stepped away from tennis before,” the 26-year-old said, “but this time, it was the longest duration of my life. And I think it kind of gave me a perspective like, “Hey, you’re not going to play tennis forever. And you kind of have to cherish the years that you can play”. I do want to be a good role model for Shai, and I want her to see that this was an important chapter in my life.”

Osaka added that becoming a mother has made her appreciate her own mother much more. “Growing up, I’ve always seen her being so independent and so strong, but now that I’m thinking about it, she must have been really worried all the time,” she said. “I just can’t imagine how stressful it was. She was the type that did everything for me and my sister. I feel like, in that way, she sort of lost, like: What does she like to do? And what does she want to do in the future?”

The two-time US Open winner will return in Brisbane in early January before playing the Australian Open, a tournament she has also won twice.

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