Naomi Osaka returns to tennis in about a month, and former WTA player Pam Shriver wants her to take some cues from the likes of Serena Williams.
Using Serena Williams as a role model is nothing new for Osaka, who grew up idolizing the legendary player. She's not the only one, as Williams was a role model for many tennis players.
When you achieve some of the things she did in her career, then she's a pretty good role model to have. Williams obviously has experience playing as a mother as well, something the Japanese player will soon get to experience.
Serena gave birth, and she came back and played well. That's what Osaka is staring at, though her circumstances are a bit different. She's quite young, which obviously matters as it should allow her to get back into playing shape a bit quicker.
The blueprint of how to do it was shown by many players. Serena Williams showed how to do it. Victoria Azarenka showed how to do it; more recently, Tatjana Maria and Elina Svitolina had strong comebacks while being mothers. According to Shriver, it's going to be fascinating to see.
It’s fascinating. I think Osaka’s got to be very inspired by some very successful maternity ladies before her, Victoria Azarenka, Serena Williams, Tatjana Maria, Elina Svitolina.
This one has more intrigue because of [the mental duress discussions] that led up to the maternity leave. I think she comes back strong, with the perspective that you’ve got great things to look forward to at home. I’m looking forward to seeing her in Australia.
Osaka has been working for a while now and looks to be in quite good shape according to the brief videos we saw of her. Competitive play will be the best indicator, and that's happening in Brisbane in about a month.
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