2024-01-01 07:51:52
Naomi Osaka made a successful comeback on New Year’s Day following a 15-month maternity leave. The 26-year-old won her first round match of the WTA tournament in Brisbane, Australia once morest the German Tamara Korpatsch following 2:48 hours 6:3 7:6 (11/9).
“It feels really good to be back,” said the four-time Grand Slam winner followingwards: “To be honest, I’m very proud of myself. I think I played at a pretty good level. My opponent also played very well.”
In the second round, Osaka will face number 16 seeded Czech Karolina Pliskova, who had a bye at the start. The hard court event, worth around 1.7 million US dollars, is considered a preparatory tournament for the Australian Open from January 14th to 28th.
No game since September 2022
Osaka reported in July that she had become a mother. She had not played a game on the professional tour since September 2022 until her comeback. Two years ago, she reported depression and anxiety and later took an extended break to protect her mental health.
1704095788
#Osaka #successfully #returns #maternity #leave
