After the baby break: Osaka celebrates victory in an emotional comeback

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Naomi Osaka (26) makes a dream comeback at the WTA 250 tournament in Brisbane. 15 months after her last match on the tour and about six months after the birth of her daughter Shai, she is celebrating another victory. The four-time Grand Slam winner defeated Germany’s Tamara Korpatsch 6:3, 7:6 (11:9) and advances to the second round, where she will meet Czech Karolina Pliskova.

After an eventful last year, the Japanese want to attack again in 2024. With no fewer than eight major titles in her career and an Olympic victory, she has set herself very ambitious goals.

I’d rather play tennis than change diapers

The charisma that Osaka has on the tour is immediately clear in Brisbane: the 26-year-old is warmly welcomed by the fans. Two supporters in the stands give her a plush kangaroo, which Osaka is so happy with that she even asks again: “Can I keep that?”

In the Platz interview, she was also touched by the fans’ reactions: “I think in the years before I had my daughter, I didn’t give back as much love as I received. In this new chapter, I would like to change that. I really appreciate that so many people come, know me and encourage me. Because there was a time when all I wanted to do as a little kid was look at my idols.”

And Osaka also makes one thing clear: she laughs and explains that she would rather play tennis games than change diapers.

Source : Blick