Former world tennis number one Naomi Osaka won her first match after more than a year of absence on Monday, winning hard against German Tamara Korpatsch at the WTA 500 tournament in Brisbane.
It took the 26-year-old Japanese player one hour and 47 minutes to defeat a valiant Korpatsch 6-3, 7-6 (11/9) on the Pat Rafter court.
“I was very nervous, but I was happy to be there,” said Osaka, who had not played since September 2022, faced in particular with mental health concerns, and who also had a child in July.
Her long break seemed forgotten when she broke Korpatsch (83rd) in the first game, then broke once again to win the first set quite easily.
But in the second set, the German took Osaka’s serve from the start and, although the Japanese star won the next game, she was no longer as comfortable against her opponent.
Osaka broke again and served for the match at 5-4, but she was broken again and the match ended in a tiebreak.
The Japanese wasted two match points and Korpatsch two set points before Osaka won on her third opportunity with a powerful forehand down the line.
She said motherhood changed her outlook on the game and she had felt too isolated from fans and other players before.
“The last two years I played before having my daughter, I didn’t give back as much love as I was given,” she said.
“I really feel like this is what I want to do now. I really appreciate people coming to support me.”