cnn
,
former world number 1 Naomi Osaka The 25-year-old player said in an interview with ESPN on Wednesday that he intends to return to professional tennis in 2024.
Four-time major champion – who welcomed a baby girl in July with her boyfriend, rapper Cordae – said she plans to play a packed schedule next year.
“It’s definitely more tournaments than I’ve played,” Osaka said. told espn, “So, I think some people will be happy with that.”
“I think it’s because I realized I don’t know what the beginning of the year is going to be like for me. I don’t know the level of the game and I think I have to ease into it. So at the very least, I’m going to prepare myself for a very good end to the year,” Osaka said.
Osaka, who has not played since the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo in September 2022 said earlier He plans to return to tennis in 2024 for the Australian Open, a tournament he has won on two previous occasions.
Osaka was asked if she missed the break from tennis, and she replied, “Definitely.”
“I’m watching the match and I think, ‘I wish I was playing, too,'” Osaka said. “But I am in this position now and I am very grateful. I really love my daughter a lot, but I think she’s really lit a fire inside of me.
Osaka took some time away from competitive tennis and made several highly publicized revelations about herself struggles with mental health Following an incident in 2021, where she was clearly stressed and emotional while addressing the media during a mandatory news conference at Roland Garros.
She later withdrew from the French Open that year and revealed that she had “suffered prolonged depression” since winning her first major championship in 2018.
Osaka was in attendance at the US Open in New York on Wednesday. She also participated in a forum on mental health at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on the same day, which also included USA Olympic swimming legend Michael Phelps, US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy and US Tennis President Dr. Brian Hanline. The association’s board and the NCAA chief medical officer.
Osaka said she has learned a lot about mental health from talking about her experiences and becoming an advocate for mental health awareness.
“I feel like I’m someone who is learning all the time. “Obviously, I learned a lot from her when I was talking,” Osaka said. “I would say my role is just to raise awareness and let people know they’re not alone.
“Physical pain and mental pain are the same for me. We have doctors for physical health but when we talk about mental health it doesn’t get that good response, so just raising awareness on it.”
She was also asked about her earlier comments that she felt “alone” when she was pregnant.
“I definitely only know this world, the tennis world,” Osaka said. “Being away from him for a long time was new to me. I think it was just the new situation and not being able to train like I wanted to and I felt like I would just stay at home. …It felt like there were a lot of restrictions.”