Naomi Osaka is back to practicing regularly as she works towards returning to tennis in a couple of months at the 2024 Australian Open.
Osaka has been out of tennis for a very long time as the Japanese player took a hiatus due to a pregnancy. Even before that, Osaka didn't really play all that much dealing with mental health problems which she talked about a few times.
She became a mother in the meantime and returned to practices not long after that, as she hopes to return to the sport in January of next year. It's been quite a ride for Osaka fans who haven't seen her play at her peak for two years.
She was one of the best players in the world at the time but struggled with mental health, taking some time away from the sport because of that. It did her good, and she was motivated to get back to tennis, but then a pregnancy came, and she postponed her return once more.
Now she's finally back to practicing regularly ahead of her anticipated return next year. She posted an update on Instagram showing herself on a practice court with the caption 'back at it,' and showcasing herself hitting some balls.
There are some growing pains, though, as her post contained a video of her missing the ball completely, which she jokingly urged fans to see by scrolling to the next slide.
On a serious note, there has been a lot of buzz coming out of several places about how good Osaka looks on a tennis court, so we might get to see her back to her full glory.
If that truly happens then the WTA Tour will become even more interesting considering with several really good players playing strong tennis at the same time.
0 Comments