Naomi Osaka Hints at When She Plans to Return to Tennis

The four-time Grand Slam champion hasn’t played since Sept. 2022.

Naomi Osaka hasn’t played in a professional tennis tournament since September 2022 at the Toray Pan Pacific Open, but it sounds like the four-time Grand Slam champion plans to return in 2024.

When speaking with ESPN at the U.S. Open on Wednesday, Osaka said “yes” after being asked if fans can see her “Down Under” at the Australian Open. That means her return could happen as soon as January.

As for the rest of her 2024, Osaka plans to compete in more tournaments than she has in recent years.

“It’s definitely way more tournaments than I used to play, so I think some people will be happy with that,” Osaka said of her upcoming schedule. “I think it’s because I realized like I don’t know how the beginning of the year’s going to go for me. I don’t know the level of play, and I think I kind of have to ease into it. So, at the very least, I’m going to set myself up for a very good end of the year.”

Naomi Osaka plans to play more tournaments in her return, including the Australian Open 🙌 @naomiosaka pic.twitter.com/iUdnkGv0st

— ESPN (@espn) September 6, 2023

The 25-year-old has dealt with various mental health issues in the past few years, which has withheld her from competing in multiple tournaments. In 2022, she also missed tournaments due to an Achilles injury.

Osaka just gave birth to her daughter, Shai, back in July.