SAN JOSE — She’s a global superstar.
She’s the woman who lit the Olympic cauldron for her home country of Japan at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
She’s got millions of followers on social media and people interested in what she’s doing on a daily basis.
But on Tuesday, Naomi Osaka was back where she hadn’t been in more than two months: on the tennis court.
The former No. 1 player in the world defeated Qinwen Zheng of China 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 in front of 2,005 people in San Jose — the most people at a Tuesday daytime session in more than a decade. It was Osaka’s first match since the French Open in late May because of an Achilles injury.
Osaka, 24, has spent 25 weeks as the No. 1-ranked player in the world during her career, but she came to San Jose as a wild card — both in the literal sense (as an entry into the tournament) and in the larger-scale look at the sport, too. Before Tuesday, the tennis world was wondering if she would look like her old self or if she would have any rust and look more like a player currently ranked No. 41 in the world.
“It’s really good to be back,” Osaka said in her on-court interview after the match.
When she’s at her best, there’s no denying just how talented Osaka is. Out of all the players active on the tour, only Serena Williams has more grand slam wins that Osaka’s four – which have all come on hard court surfaces, rather than the clay of Roland Garros or the grass of Wimbledon.
Williams and Osaka are forever linked because of the 2018 U.S. Open, when chair umpire Carlos Ramos gave Williams three controversial code violations, the third of which cost the legend an entire game. Williams was called a liar and a thief, and Osaka went on to beat her idol 6-2, 6-4 for her first title but was in tears during the trophy presentation.
Osaka entered superstardom after following up the first title by winning the next grand slam, the 2019 Australian Open. She added another title at each hard court event two years later (2020 U.S. Open, 2021 Australian Open), solidifying her status as the best hard court player on tour.
But modern superstardom comes with an intense spotlight, and Osaka was a leading athlete to speak up about the mental health toll that it can take. She admitted she battled depression and refused to do her media obligations at the 2021 French Open, and after being levied with a $15,000 fine, she instead chose to withdraw from the tournament before the second round and step away.
She skipped Wimbledon in 2021 but played in the Tokyo Olympics, where she lost in the third round. She later played at the U.S. Open but stepped away from the sport again after the tournament.
“I feel like for me, recently, when I win, I don’t feel happy, I feel more like a relief. And then when I lose, I feel very sad,” Osaka said after her third round loss. “I don’t think that’s normal.”
2022 has been a return to enjoying tennis, but she’s battled injuries. Finally healthy, Osaka returned to the Silicon Valley Classic — the tournament she made her professional debut in back in 2014 — to begin ramping up for the U.S. Open, which begins at the end of August. And this week in San Jose can be viewed as a safe starting point to build up confidence ahead of the final grand slam of 2022.
There were signs of rust on Tuesday, as she put less than half of her first serves in play in her first set. But her world-class forehand looked as strong as before — and felt it, in her eyes.
She also gave some credit for her performance to her dad, who is her coach again after Osaka parted ways with Wim Fissette after three years. Osaka pointed to her father during her on-court interview after the match and said he “always makes me smile.”
Osaka will play again on Thursday against American phenom Coco Gauff, who won her first match against Anhelina Kalinina 6-1, 6-0 in just 54 minutes. That showdown will be in the evening session.
But after Osaka’s 2–hour, 3-minute match on Tuesday, the overwhelming feeling she had was excitement about coming back to the Bay, where she said her best friends are from. She’s even said she’s dropped in classes at San Jose State.
“I kind of feel like a local, a little bit,” Osaka said.
