Naomi Osaka Overcome with Emotion After Winning First Match at U.S. Open Post-Maternity Leave

by Nicholas Edwards · 28/08/2024

Naomi Osaka returns to the U.S. Open with an emotional victory over Jelena Ostapenko, marking her first match win since her maternity leave.

Bollywood Fever: Naomi Osaka was visibly emotional after winning her first match at the U.S. Open, a significant milestone in her return to tennis.

The 26-year-old tennis star secured a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Jelena Ostapenko on Tuesday, August 27, advancing to the second round of the tournament.

After her win, Osaka was seen wiping sweat and tears from her face, deeply moved by the moment.

“I was trying not to cry when I was walking out,” Osaka shared with reporters during her post-game interview. “Last year I was watching Coco [Gauff] play and I so badly wanted to step on these courts again. I didn’t know if I could … just to play this match and just to be in this atmosphere means so much to me.”

Naomi Osaka Overcome with Emotion After Winning First Match at U.S. Open Post-Maternity Leave

Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, reflected on the emotional journey that brought her back to the U.S. Open this year.

She expressed how seeing the supportive faces in the stadium made the moment even more special.

Osaka had missed last year’s tournament while on maternity leave after welcoming her daughter Shai, now 13 months old, with her boyfriend Cordae in July 2023.

“I grew up here, so just seeing kids, and then remembering my daughter, but seeing kids coming and watching me play and just remembering that I was a kid … [it] made me very emotional,” she said. “Just seeing the stadium really full, it meant a lot, because I was, like, ‘Oh, I hope people come watch me play.’”

Osaka announced her intention to return to tennis just two months after welcoming her daughter.

“I definitely only know this world, the tennis world, and just being away from that for a long time, it was new for me,” she told ESPN in September 2023. “I think it was just the whole new situation and not being able to train like I wanted to… it kind of made me feel like I just had to stay at home.”

In December 2023, Osaka opened up about the challenges she faced during her first pregnancy, revealing that she tested positive for Group B streptococcus, a bacterial infection that can be dangerous for newborns, and endured over 12 hours of labor.

“I don’t think people know how hard pregnancy is. No one really talks about it as much,” she told InStyle. “Going into it, you kind of think, ‘Oh, it’s this beautiful journey.’ But it’s kind of rough.”

Now back on the court, Osaka is looking forward to continuing her journey in the tournament, with her first victory marking an emotional and triumphant return to the sport she loves.