Naomi Osaka has admitted that she battled with self-doubt after enduring disappointing 2024 Australian Open return but that doesn’t bothered her to change goals as she feels she is confident to challenge the likes of Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff on WTA tour.
After sitting out the entire 2023 season while also giving birth to her first child in July, – a daughter named Shai – Osaka returned to action in January.
On her return, the American won her first match at the Brisbane International but was eliminated in the R2 of the Australian Open prepatory tourney. She was then downed by Caroline Garcia in the Opening round of Australian Open.
The 4-time Grand Slam champion has confirmed her presence at the Abu Dhabi Open this week and while she admits her self-belief wavered in by the Down Under losses, the 26-year-old is not afraid of setting high goal for herself for the 2024 season that has just started.
“Australia gave me a little bit of self-doubt, just because I wish I could have played more matches and I always do really well in Australia. So it was a bit of a harsh reality,” she told The National.
“But I still think my level is improving every day and I think that I can be better, and I hope that I will be better. I’m always the type of person that would rather set really high goals and maybe I’ll do only 25 per cent of that but the 25 per cent is still really amazing.
“I don’t think that I would have come back and be like, ‘Oh my goal is to get to the quarter-final of a Slam’, which is still really good but that’s not why I’m spending time away from Shai.”
Those goals include adding to her tally of 4 majors while she also has hopes of not just grinding, but competing with the best on the WTA tour at the moment.
Osaka had seen a significant drop in the rankings before she went on maternity leave and Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Ons Jabeur as well as Elena Rybakina are currently the dominant forces in the women’s game. However, the Japanese star has made it clear that she is not shying away to shine at the biggest stages in the sport.
“I’m at a weird point right now in this comeback. I, obviously, have so much respect for them and everything that they’ve done. But I don’t really see myself as a challenger, which is a weird thing,” said Osaka.
“It’s really bold to say but I know what I’m capable of, and I know people are going to probably drag me for saying this, but I don’t think it’s a stretch for me to say that I see myself there. And I hope that I can get there this year, hopefully towards the tail-end of the year. But if not, I’m okay with being patient, I’ve always been a patient person, so I’ll get there eventually.”
Osaka has been handed a tough draw in Abu Dhabi as she takes on American Danielle Collins in her opener and if she passes the test, she will set to meet top seed Elena Rybakina.
She added: “I always knew that going into this. Because even when I left, I was having tough losses, because mentally I wasn’t really in it. And I know coming back, it’s not like I’m in my 2021 form right away.
“But I’m trying more one day at a time. I know it’s better to play scrappy matches to get into the form where I want to be. Australia has taught me a lot about getting some pretty harsh draws. So hopefully I’ll get my ranking up and I won’t have to play these really great players in the first round.
“But for right now, I’m the type of person that, even if I play the No 1 seed, I want myself to win and I kind of expect myself to win, which is the delusion part. But I try not to make too many excuses.”