7 WTA tour-level titles, including 4 Grand Slams, two Australian Open, and the US Open! An extraordinary career marked by brilliance, yet hindered by numerous injuries and inconsistent performances. Following a 15-month maternity absence, Naomi Osaka‘s comeback to the court has proven anything but disastrous; her career trajectory has taken an unanticipated course this season. What strategies could she employ to improve her circumstances? One word: Training!

Recently, her coach offered a rare glimpse into her grueling training sessions after the disappointing AO. However, what did he say about it, though? After a subpar 2024 season, where Osaka’s only notable achievements were a Qatar Open QF run and a strong showing at the Rosmalen Grass Court Championships, Naomi Osaka started 2025 on a low note.

Despite reaching the final in the ASB Classic, her momentum was cut short when she retired mid-match against Clara Tauson, despite winning the first set, because of an abdominal injury. Still, she showed resilience just days later at the Australian Open, storming through the first two rounds easily. But once again, injury struck, forcing her to withdraw from her 3R clash against recently crowned Abu Dhabi Champion Belinda Bencic.

And now, her comeback is once again on the horizon, as her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, recently shared an exclusive glimpse of her intense training sessions, proving Osaka is already on the path to reclaiming her dominance.

Just a couple of hours ago, Patrick posted a series of short videos and pictures on his Instagram stories. Among them, one shows Naomi, holding her legs and hands up. And, the coach posted that picture with a short yet effective comment, “Building”. After a disappointing start to the new season, if there’s one thing we know about the former world No. 1, setbacks don’t define her. Instead, they fuel her. However, her recent drawbacks from injuries are not new as she faced similar ones last year, from which she came back stronger. 

She has battled through injuries before, like at the China Open, where she was forced to retire from her 4th-round match against American Coco Gauff. And the consequences? They were tough to digest. The injury led to her withdrawal from the remainder of the season, including major tournaments like the Hong Kong Tennis Open and Pan Pacific Open 2024 in Japan. Even Japan Open officials released a statement confirming the native’s absence from the tournament, marking a frustrating end to her campaign.

“We would like to inform you that Naomi Osaka (Japan/Freelance), who was scheduled to participate in the women’s tournament of the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships 2024, will be unable to participate due to injury,” the statement read. 

But if history has taught us anything, it’s how Osaka knows how to rise from adversity, and her comeback is just a matter of time on the tour. However, as she pulled off from the recently concluded AO, she shared glimpses of her injury after the post-match. 

Naomi Osaka revealed her injury crisis after the AO withdrawal!

Osaka kicked off her 2025 season with a bang! She came so close to clinching the season opener at ASB Classic, only to walk over in the final, handing Clara Tauson the golden opportunity to start the season with a trophy. Despite that setback, the Japanese carried her momentum into the Happy Slam, making a bold statement in her campaign. She dominated her 1st round match against Caroline Garcia and then staged an impressive comeback in the 2nd round, defeating Karolina Muchova in a three-set thriller, despite dropping the 1st set. A strong comeback, isn’t it?

However, her AO run took an unfortunate turn in the 3rd round clash against Swiss Belinda Bencic, who just won her first WTA 500 title win in Abu Dhabi after a 13-month break. Osaka fought hard but ultimately lost 7-6 (7-3) in a fiercely contested 1st set. Then, unexpectedly, she walked over, bringing her AO journey to an unfortunate end. And, after the match, Osaka revealed the reason behind her walkover, shedding light on yet another challenging moment in her comeback journey altogether.

“It was a little hectic trying to manage it, because obviously my draw was quite tough. But we were also doing everything we could, like I was going to therapy every day and stuff like that into the night. So the days have been very long for me. Obviously, after my last match, it got way worse. So credit to her for being such a good opponent,” she added. In addition, the Japanese also added her prediction for the next tour while addressing the withdrawal disappointment.

“It’s disgusting to have to withdraw from here because of this problem, as what happened in the Auckland final. It’s an abdominal strain. I’ve always been prone to it, I think because of the explosiveness of my serve, but it’s painful to have to retire because I feel like I was playing really well and would have won this match if I could have served. I hope to be ready for Indian Wells and Miami,“ she added.

As she recently announced her participation in The Queen’s Club tournament, do you think she will win the event happening from 7 to 15 June? Share your thoughts below!