Naomi Osaka went through massive changes in form following her comeback to the tour from her pregnancy hiatus. Upon her return, the once formidable Japanese star faced heavy resistance from new talents. Nevertheless, poised to bring about a change, Osaka revamped her coaching segment. But her path to another Slam quest won’t be an easy one in Melbourne. 

The four-time Major winner had a rollercoaster of a season in 2024 and her performance was tested to the limit in the tour calendar’s first half. She made notable strides in a handful of events. However, a string of underwhelming results, especially on the Slam stage, didn’t seem to conclude. That was until she parted ways with ex-coach Wim Fissette and joined forces with Serena Williams’s former star coach Patrick Mouratoglou. 

A significant boost in morale following her team-up with the Frenchman assisted her in securing a Round of 16 spot at the China Open. Unfortunately, Osaka couldn’t move past that stage after being forced to retire due to injury concerns. The single mother wasn’t one to throw in the towel, so she shifted her focus to the 2025 season and subsequently scripted a laudable start to the year at the ASB Classic. 

Osaka arrived in Auckland and proceeded to outclass contestants to work her way to the summit clash, only to concede her title clash mid-match due to an injury. However, the Japanese star is now due for her Australian Open showcase and the main draw revealed her projected match draws at Melbourne Park. Osaka will face a tough rival line-up at the hardcourt blockbuster, with players like Jeļena Ostapenko, Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Aryna Sabalenka, and Iga Swiatek bound to square off with her in the rounds building up to the final. 

After clarifying she would hang her racket if she couldn’t maintain her desired ranking on the WTA, Osaka wrote a heartfelt and encouraging message following her Auckland retirement. For those unaware, the former WTA world ranking-leader recently split with her longtime boyfriend and rap artist Cordae.

Naomi Osaka pens an uplifting message ahead of the Australian Open

Japanese superstar Naomi Osaka reached the title decider of the WTA 250 event in Auckland and even won her opening set against rival Clara Tauson, 6-4, before retiring due to an injury concern. Hours after her walkover and walking away with the runner-up trophy, the former World No. 1 took to her Instagram handle and uploaded multiple posts, summing up her highlights from the time spent in Auckland. 

The final picture of the post featured an emotional note from Osaka that read: “I’ve come to the conclusion that’s what’s meant for me is meant for me and maybe certain situations occur to train my mind for what’s to come. Maybe there’s bigger and better things on my path and I just have to continue the journey to encounter them. That being said this is about to be a great year.”

Osaka will launch her campaign at the Australian Open against Spaniard Caroline Garcia on Monday, January 12.