Tokyo (AFP)
Japanese Naomi Osaka, the former world number one in tennis, who has been absent from the field for more than a year, expressed her ambition to participate in the Olympic Games hosted by Paris in the summer of 2024 and win more titles in the Grand Slam tournaments.
“It is clear that I want to win more Grand Slam tournaments, so my focus will be on Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and participating in the Olympic Games in Paris,” Osaka told the Japanese network NHK.
She added that she feels “nervous” but she is also “happy and looking forward” to the idea of returning to the courts, which begins by participating in the Australian Brisbane tournament at the end of this month, in preparation for the Australian Open next month.
Osaka considered that she has now matured more compared to the beginning of her career, saying, “Today I think I am able to understand the game in a better way.”
Osaka won four Grand Slam titles between 2018 and 2021 and ranked first in the world rankings in 2019, but she faced mental problems after that, and then decided to focus on her personal life, as she gave birth to her first child last July.
Osaka has been out of action since September 2022 and her ranking in the world rankings has fallen below 600th.
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