Naomi Osaka Makes Big Announcement About Tennis Career

Naomi Osaka just shared some big news about her tennis career. On Friday, Osaka, 24, announced that she is returning to tennis after taking two months off. She shared the news on Twitter, saying that it “feels good to be back.” She also thanked her followers for the “kind messages as he makes her comeback.” 

In early September, Osaka announced she was going to take a break from tennis after losing in the third round of the US Open. “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 at the time, per Fox Sports. “I don’t think that’s normal. I didn’t really want to cry. Basically, I feel like I’m kind of at this point where I’m trying to figure out what I want to do, and I honestly don’t know when I’m going to play my next tennis match. I think I’m going to take a break from playing for a while.” 

kinda rusty but feels good to be back 🎾💕 I really want to say thank you everyone for all the kind messages, I really appreciate it ❤️ pic.twitter.com/AF0dDukRPE

— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) November 5, 2021

2021 has been an interesting year for Osaka. She won the Australian Open but withdrew from the French Open after receiving backlash for opting out of press conference “I think now the best thing for the tournament, the other players and my well-being is that I withdraw so that everyone can get back to focusing on the tennis going on in Paris,” Osaka said in a lengthy statement. “I never wanted to be a distraction and I accept my timing was not ideal and my message could have been clearer.

“More important I would never trivialize mental health or use the term lightly. The truth is that I suffered long bouts of depression since the US Open in 2018 and I have had a really hard time coping with that. Anyone that knows me knows I’m introverted, and anyone that has seen me at tournaments will notice that I’m often wearing headphones as that helps dull my social anxiety.”

Osaka didn’t compete in Wimbledon but took part in the Olympics in Tokyo. She then would participate in the Western & Southern Open and lost in the third round. In her career, Osaka has won four Grand Slam Championships — the Australian Open twice and the US Open twice.