Naomi Osaka registered her first top-10 win in the US Open since 2021on August 27. The tennis star couldn’t hold back her tears after she beat 2017 Roland Garros-winner Jelena Ostapenko on her comeback at Flushing Meadows in the opening round of the US Open 2024.
The Japanese star beat the Latvian Ostapenko 6-3, 6-2. Ostapenko was seeded number 10.
"I was trying not to cry when I walked out. Last year I watched Coco play and I so badly wanted to step on these courts again. I don't know if I could. I don't know if athletically physically if I was able to. Just to win this match and to be in this atmosphere means so much to me. So thank you," said Osaka describing her win.
Osaka opened up on the challenges she has faced to create a balance between motherhood and her career.
"It was stressful. She was hitting some really good shots. I told myself keep going for every point and maybe you'll have an opportunity. Eventually, I did. I looked up and saw so many faces. So I was like woah. At night my daughter didn't wanna go to sleep at her bedtime so I had to hold her for a while. I was like Oh wow she picked the perfect day to not go to sleep. Moments like that are so precious to me. I can only hope I keep having more," the former US Champion added.
She will now face Czech Republic Karolina Muchova in the second round. Coco is the reigning champion of the US Open Women's Singles.
Osaka’s comeback
Osaka who is currently ranked 88th in the world missed the US Open 2023 after giving birth to her daughter Shai. Her last appearance in New York was in 2022 when she couldn’t go past the first round. She is a two-time US Open champion, with the first of her four Grand Slam titles coming in 2018, followed by another in 2020.
