Instagram Content
This content can also be found at: origin from.
She continues to be an advocate for mental health.
As a public figure, Osaka has used her platform to effect change, particularly when it comes to eliminating the stigma around mental health: Her production company, Hana Kuma, launched a mental health video series last year, for example. I look forward to hearing from you (Osaka herself served as guest host.) She also sat down with Michael Phelps and U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy for candid discussions on topics ranging from loneliness to asking for help.
“Growing up, I was always told to hold on, and in my mind, I thought athletes should hold on, and that if I showed emotion, I was weak,” she said on the panel, “But I ended up in a situation where I had to ask for help…I had really good people around me, so I just asked for help.”
In fact, she competed in a lot of competitions this year.
Chris Hyde/Getty Images
Osaka made her long-awaited return to professional tennis at the Brisbane International in January. Playing for the first time since September 2022, she won her first match but lost to Karolina Plišková in the second round. “I was very nervous, but I’m really happy to be back and in such a good atmosphere,” Osaka said in her post-match press conference.
Over the past year, she has continued to play in WTA tournaments but has not made the same progress as before. The former world No. 1 only made it to the third round at the 2024 Indian Wells Open and Miami Open last March. As promised, Osaka also played in the Australian Open in January but lost in the first round to Caroline Garcia.
“Obviously, you have to remind yourself, ‘Hey, six months ago I was pregnant,'” Osaka told reporters about her loss. “There’s a voice in my head that says, ‘Who the hell do you think you are to come back and win a match right away?’ But I always think I have a chance, so I think being kind to myself is a big thing I’ve learned during my time off.”
Robert Prange/Getty Images
In May, she reached the fourth round at the Italian Open, defeating superstars such as world No. 10 Daria Kasatkina and No. 19 Marta Kostyuk in straight sets, before losing to Qingwen Chen, who won gold at this year’s Olympics.
Osaka earned her first Grand Slam match victory since 2022.
This summer, Osaka returned to clay at the 2024 French Open, defeating Lucia Bronzetti to win her first Grand Slam title since the 2022 Australian Open. In the second round, she faced current world number one Iga Swiantek, and despite losing, Osaka called the match one of her most “memorable” and “fun” matches.
Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
“I cried when I got off the court, but I realized that watching Iga win this tournament last year while I was pregnant and playing against her was a dream of mine,” Osaka told reporters. “So, I think I’m doing pretty well. I’m trying not to be too hard on myself.”
She also won her first Wimbledon match in six years.
Sean M. Hafey/Getty Images
The tennis star hadn’t played on the iconic grass courts since 2019. (Wimbledon was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic, she withdrew in 2021 for personal reasons, missed 2022 because of an Achilles injury and took maternity leave last year.) But this July, Osaka made her long-awaited return to London.
