Naomi Osaka wants to leave a legacy behind and doesn't want her name erased from tennis, so she's highly motivated during this comeback.
Only a couple of years ago, the motivation of former world no. 1 to do well in the sport didn't seem to be very high. Some other things seemed to be more important to her at that time, but she's certainly more interested in legacy this time around.
Becoming a mother certainly contributed to that because she certainly wants to show her daughter how good of a player she is. Legacy talk came up during her most recent appearance on the Good Trouble with Nick Kyrgios podcast, where she admitted that she doesn't want her name erased from the sport.
This is related to her own aspirations of making history in the sport, on top of winning four Grand Slams and becoming the world no. 1, which she's done before becoming mother.
"I have this thing about making history. I don’t want my name to be erased. I want to be remembered at least in one small way."
Osaka has already made some history in the sport by winning majors, but she's certainly capable of more. Before she started experiencing mental health issues, Osaka was on a pace to win more than 10 Grand Slams, with some describing her as the future Serena Williams.
Plenty of players overtook her in the meantime, but she's motivated and working hard to get back to where she once was. The talent is obviously there, now it's about motivation.
So far this year, it's been a mixed bag. There have been some decent results, but also some obvious growing pains after she missed a long time with her pregnancy.
"I can see myself getting back to a level where I’m competing for Grand Slams, but I wouldn’t change a thing."
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