Naomi Osaka’s Return to Winning Ways in Doha Earns Fitting Praise From American Icon Chris Evert’s Mouth

It looks like Naomi Osaka is finally back to her best. After three successive defeats earlier this season, the Japanese tennis star has found her footing at the Qatar Open. Yesterday, she defeated Petra Martic of Croatia in the second round of the tournament. What was interesting to note is the fact that she was on top of her game, notching up a convincing victory. As a result, American legend Chris Evert had a special message for her.

Evert has been following Osaka’s game closely. The latter has made a comeback this season after becoming a first-time mother. Here’s what the retired star had to say about Osaka.

Chris Evert labels Naomi Osaka one of the ‘greats’

Chris Evert is very active on social media platforms like X, formerly Twitter, often expressing her opinions about various subjects going on in the world. On this occasion, she pointed out Naomi Osaka’s resounding success after a long time. This message came after the former World Number 1 registered a victory over Martic.

“It was just a matter of time. Greatness doesn’t disappear…. @naomiosaka #patience,” read the X post. Indeed, Osaka was bound for success after putting up a lot of hard work during the off-season. She got back to shape quickly and sweated it out during the training sessions. Her comeback success is only a sweet fruit of the effort she made to return to the court.

The Japanese tennis star has big plans for the ongoing season. She is eager to add to her tally of four Grand Slam titles. Even before the start of the 2024 season, Osaka made big revelations about her goals for this season.

DIVE DEEPER: Not ‘Ashamed’ of Her Past Regrets, Naomi Osaka Delivers a Strong Statement for Her Younger Self

Being highly competitive, Osaka is excited to face new blood in 2024

Naomi Osaka is eager to stay fit and participate in a maximum number of tournaments and she also wants to dig deep into the events that she plays. Her competitive nature was on full display as she announced her targets for the current season.

Osaka revealed, “I think I’ve just missed the competition. I’m a very competitive person, so it’s been really cool to see so many players doing really well, and so many like new faces. And I think what I wish to accomplish a lot when I get back on the court, so hopefully, I do well on grass and clay next year.”

Osaka’s third-round opponent, Lesia Tsurenko, has withdrawn from the Qatar Open. As a result, Osaka is in the quarterfinals and will take on the winner of the match between Karolina Pliskova and Linda Noskova. It’ll be interesting to see if Osaka can win the Qatar Open on her comeback.

Watch this story: Get Ready To Make Out! – When Serena Williams Had A Hilarious Challenge For Naomi Osaka’s Former Coach