Naomi Osaka Wins her Opening Match on Return to Elite Tennis

Japan's Naomi Osaka reacts after her victory against Germany's Tamara Korpatsch during their women's singles match at the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane on January 1, 2024. (Photo by William WEST / AFP)

Naomi Osaka’s first win at the elite level since becoming a mother didn’t come easily. It did come on Day 1 of the year, though. So that was two items Osaka checked off the list Monday for her comeback to professional tennis, The Associated Press reported.
The former No. 1-ranked Osaka was broken while serving for the match at 5-3 in the second set and needed three match points before converting in the tiebreaker for a 6-3, 7-6 (9) victory over Tamara Korpatsch in the first round of the Brisbane International.
“I was super nervous the whole time,” Osaka, 26, said of her comeback match against the 28-year-old German player.
A two-time Australian and US Open champion, Osaka pulled out of last year’s Australian Open in Melbourne before later revealing she was pregnant. The US-based Japanese player and her partner, rapper Cordae, became parents to daughter Shai in Los Angeles in July.
Osaka had only played one game since her first-round exit at the 2022 US Open. She was leading Daria Gavrilova 1-0 at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo in September of that year before the Australian retired from the match with injury.
Osaka said she has a renewed focus on living in the moment when it comes to her tennis.
“The last couple years that I played before I had my daughter, I didn’t return as much love as I was given,” she told the crowd at Pat Rafter Arena. "So I really feel like that’s what I want to do in this chapter.
"I just really appreciate people coming out and people knowing me and cheering for me.”