When will Naomi Osaka win a Grand Slam again and can she return to No. 1?

| by Drew Tate

Naomi Osaka is currently ranked 38th and she's far from the number one spot she wants to be so when will she return to it?

The last time Noami Osaka played a lot of tennis was in 2019 when the Japanese player played 51 matches. After the pandemic started Osaka seldom played much tennis. In 2020 it was only 19 matches but she won 16 of them. In 2021 it was 25 matches and she won 18 of them with this year being only at 17 matches and 12 wins. As you can see when Osaka does play she generally plays rather well.

However, since the 2021 Australian Open Osaka did not really enjoy a deep run at a grand slam event. She missed both Wimbledon and Roland Garros this year and Wimbledon last year. At last year's US Open she lost to Leylah Fernandez while she withdrew from Roland Garros due to mental health. It's been a troubling trend for the player who is so supremely talented when it comes to swinging a racquet.

Naomi Osaka to participate in San Jose as she recevies a wild-card
Naomi Osaka to participate in San Jose as she recevies a wild-card

Injuries this year certainly prevented her from playing more which is a shame since she was able to work through some of her mental health issues. She admitted herself to being happy on the court again so fans are hoping to see her back to peak form. It will come when Osaka fully dedicates herself to tennis because it's not been the case lately.

Whether it was mental health, whether it was some of her other passions like fashion or business, Osaka has put tennis in the backseat. As talented as she is, you can't do that. Those who remain on the top work religiously on their craft (Novak Djokovic) and Osaka simply has not, at least not enough. When she puts tennis first again, she'll both win a grand slam and return to the top spot. Her best tennis is the best tennis we saw since Serena Williams.

"We offered Wimbledon to play mixed doubles with Ukrainians, there is no war in tennis" - says Rublev
"We offered Wimbledon to play mixed doubles with Ukrainians, there is no war in tennis" - says Rublev

Read the full article

Just in

Look at more articles