The future looks bright for the former world No.1
©Corinne Dubreuil / FFTRoland-Garros 2024 has been a tournament of goodbyes, with the public potentially sending off Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray for the last time, as well as Dominic Thiem, Diego Schwartzman, Alizé Cornet and – at some point – Danielle Collins.
On Wednesday on Court Philippe-Chatrier, after a scintillating second-round encounter between Naomi Osaka and Iga Swiatek, hello was a welcome surprise.
As in: hello Naomi Osaka, Grand Slam powerhouse.
Osaka may have fallen in excruciating fashion to the reigning three-time champion, but the former world No.1’s performance was a welcome back to the big stage moment that spoke volumes about her capacity to be a major player at Grand Slam level in the months to come.
Just five months into her comeback from maternity leave, 26-year-old Osaka has spoken often about being kinder to herself. She regularly scribbles epiphanies in a book at changeovers during her matches. Sometimes she makes notes about her tennis tactics, but on Wednesday, the message was more simple.
“I have my little book, right? In it today I just wrote: I'm proud of you,” she told reporters on Wednesday. “And I think for me, saying that to myself, it gives me a lot of power, because sometimes I curse myself out in my head and it's quite a negative feeling.
“I would just say I'm proud of the journey. I'm hoping, hopefully, it will get more and more positive.”
Though she has struggled to dial in her commanding tennis in the first five months of her comeback, Wednesday’s near miss against Swiatek was proof that Osaka is on the right track.
Never mind that she didn’t close out the win: the tennis that she played to take Swiatek to the brink was more than enough to inspire Osaka to believe in what’s possible again.
Her rivals believe it as well.
“I'm happy that she's back, because her tennis deserves to be on the biggest stages,” Swiatek said. “She deserves to be there, because she has great tennis.”
The first act of Osaka’s career was the stuff of legend. She won four major titles and supplanted 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams as the most menacing force in the women’s game. But she’s only human, and as her comeback started in January doubts filtered in.
“After I lost in Madrid I remember asking my team if they thought I could ever be a top-5 player again,” Osaka admitted. “And granted, I didn't make it to the quarters or the semis here, I feel like I'm kind of on my way back there. For me, that's the biggest positive.”
During an eye-catching performance like Wednesday’s – hitting with breathtaking power and precision that evoked gasps from the Chatrier faithful – Osaka reminded us not of what she once was, but what she could once again become.
Forget the defeat, remember the way she rose to a challenge that very few thought she could handle – except Naomi herself.
“I went into the match fully believing that I was going to win,” she said on Wednesday.
A champion’s mentality: nurturing a self-belief that has clearly never left her and interpreting losses not as travesties but as lessons.
"For me, while I was playing with [Swiatek], I was learning too,” Osaka said. “I mean, it feels bad, but I really think I can grow a lot from this experience.”
ROLAND-GARROS
19 May - 8 June 2025
