After taking a year off for both mental health and family reasons, new mother Naomi Osaka returned to the tennis courts this week at the Brisbane International tourney, a warm-up for the upcoming Australian Open, the first of the four Grand Slams in tennis. Many tennis fans are thrilled to have Osaka back flashing her strong forehand and tough to return backhand shots. The timing works out great too, due to her success in the land Down Under.
Osaka has been ranked #1 in the Women's Tennis Association before her well-publicized press conference in Paris last year where she with drew from the French Open after deciding the game was not good for her mental health at the time. Many fans of the sport derided the decision, saying Osaka obviously didn't have the mental toughness to compete. Many of her tennis colleagues , both male and female, supported her decision though, and due to Osaka's decision to leave the game, her choice opened up a dialogue on the mental health of professional athletes in ALL sports, leading to a further awareness of when an athlete should do right by themselves and step away for both their mental health and their own physical game.
Australia will e a bit of a homecoming for Osaka, as two of her four Grand Slams have been won at the Australian Open.
UPDATE: After winning her match in the first round, Osaka last in the second round to an unranked opponent. Afterwards, Osaka told the press she felt good and is glad to be back, playing her favorite sport for her and the fans, who have a short wait to see Osaka again when the Australian Open starts in a couple of weeks.
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