Naomi Osaka Touted to Indian Wells Glory by Lindsay Davenport in a Unique Take on Title Contenders

Just after Naomi Osaka‘s early exit from the 2024 AO, the American former tennis star Lindsay Davenport stated that she needs to work a bit more to get to her peak. And now she has touted Osaka to be the BNP Paribas Open champion. How has Osaka’s journey of playing the role of a mother and working side by side been?

The 38YO former ATP star, John Isner, says it’s really a hard job for women to come back to the sport after becoming a parent. He also heaped praise on all those tennis moms for their commitment and dedication to the sport.

‘Incredibly Impressive’ – John Isner after seeing the comeback of Naomi Osaka and other tennis moms

John Isner and Lindsay Davenport recently appeared on the Tennis Channel Live Podcast. They spoke to the host Steve Weissman about how difficult it’s for a mother to make a comeback on the court. Isner said, “It’s very very cool, it’s very impressive to see. Of course, it’s a lot harder for the moms when you become a parent. You’re bearing the brunt of all that and to be able to come back from that, what they go through is incredibly impressive.”

He further added, “It’s very very hard to see them back and play at the highest level like this. It’s awesome to see.” But who among those tennis moms could go the farthest at the Indian Wells Open this year? Lindsay Davenport says, “I think Osaka. If she’s able to get her game with her firepower. She has won it here before. She looked very good in her first match against Errani.” Naomi Osaka got off to a stellar start in her 2024 Indian Wells Open campaign.

She won her first WTA title here in 2018. Can she repeat the heroics again? Well, she got off to a winning start defeating Italy’s Sara Errani in her first match by 6-3,6-1. Osaka carried forward her momentum in the next game and defeated the 25YO Russian, Liudmila Samsonova by 7-5,6-3 in just 1 hour and 37 minutes. She will now face Belgium’s Elise Mertens in her R32 match at the Indian Wells.

READ MORE: Indian Wells 2024: Naomi Osaka’s Straight-Faced Humor in Full Display as She Name-Drops Iga Swiatek Out of Nowhere

Naomi Osaka had earlier revealed that she wants her daughter to have a memory of her mom playing tennis. So, Osaka wants to play as long as she can because she feels that it is a very important part of her life. But what did Naomi Osak say after his emphatic victory over Samsonova?

Osaka now wants to have a lot more fun on the court

After defeating the world number 15, the former world number one stated, “I think, for me, I just want to have a lot more fun on the court.” Naomi Osaka believes she was quite hard on herself after her first-round exit from the Australian Open earlier this year. But now, she doesn’t want to repeat the same mistake.

“In Australia, I was really hard on myself and I found myself not really celebrating just being on the court. So I think in this tournament, I just really wanted to emphasize that I don’t expect myself to win every match, but I want to have fun and enjoy the moments while I can,” Osaka said.

How far do you think Naomi Osaka can reach this time at the 2024 BNP Paribas Open? Do you agree with Davenport or is there a different pick in your mind for this year’s Indian Wells champion? Let us know in the comment box.

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