Naomi Osaka of Japan speaks to the media ahead of the US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 24, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by JAMIE SQUIRE / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
New York: Two-time US Open champion Naomi Osaka is hoping a return to the hard courts of Flushing Meadows will mark a turning point in what has been an erratic tennis comeback.
"I was watching in the stands last year, and I promised myself this was going to be the tournament where I do the best," said Osaka, who returned to tennis late last year after taking 15 months out for the birth of her daughter Shai.
"Hopefully here or Japan or during the Asian swing -- that's kind of where I put all my energy. I guess we'll see what happens," added Osaka as she spoke to reporters on Saturday, two days before the start of the year's final Grand Slam.
After a first-round exit at the Australian Open Osaka held a match point against Iga Swiatek in the second round at the French Open, eventually falling in three sets to the world number one.
A quick second-round exit at Wimbledon was followed by a first-round defeat at the Paris Olympics.
After a defeat in qualifying for the WTA hardcourt tournament in Cincinnati Osaka wrote on social media that "I don't feel like I'm in my body".
"I just felt like I wasn't able to hit the shots that I know I can hit," Osaka explained. "That was the most frustrating thing because I felt like I couldn't control the balls the way I wanted to."
Nevertheless, Osaka said Saturday that flashes of her old form throughout her 2024 campaign have left her "a little shocked sometimes at how well the play is.
"Obviously I want to be in the top 10, and I want to do all these things, but I still in the back of my mind remember not being able to run ... or not being able to do a sit-up."
After some extended practice on hard courts -- after the unusual switching from clay to grass and back to clay for the Olympics -- Osaka said she was feeling more confident.
"I feel way better now," said the Japanese star, who received a wild card into the main draw. "I'm able to practice at a really high level. I hope that I'm able to play matches at a really high level, too."
Flushing Meadows is a perfect place to try to translate that form to matches, not only because of her past success but because the US Open is a tournament she's attended and loved since childhood.
"I do think coming to this specific tournament helps me out," she said. "Whenever I step foot here, I don't really think about the two tournaments I won. I just think about how I felt when I was a kid, because I did grow up coming here, and I have such vivid memories of watching my favorite players. It's more of a childhood nostalgia that I really enjoy."
