U.S. Open 2024: For Naomi Osaka, it's Comeback Summer
Naomi Osaka reacts after scoring a point against Jelena Ostapenko during the first round of the U.S. Open on Tuesday. Credit: AP/Seth Wenig
Naomi Osaka made more than a fashion statement Tuesday at the U.S. Open.
Wearing brat green -- the hue that fashionistas everywhere have anointed the “it” color of the summer – and a removable white tulle petticoat, the two-time U.S. Open champion played the kind of match that showed the world she's serious about making a comeback in the sport she once ruled.
Osaka, who needed a wildcard to get into the tournament, thrilled a near capacity crowd at Louis Armstrong Stadium by easily dispensing 10th-ranked Jelena Ostapenko, 6-3, 6-2, in a match that lasted barely over an hour.
The win was Osaka’s first over a top 10 opponent in more than four years. Osaka, who missed last year’s U.S. Open after giving birth to her daughter, was so overcome by emotion that she burst into tears after shaking hands at the net with Ostapenko.
The 26-year-old then continued crying into a towel on the sidelines as the crowd gave her a standing ovation.
Osaka was once the highest paid women’s athlete in the world, having won the U.S. Open in 2018 and 2020 and the Australian Open in 2018 and 2021.
The last couple of years she has taken time off – first for mental health breaks and then for the birth of her daughter. Her return this year had only seen mediocre results until Tuesday. She was ranked 88th in the world coming into the tournament after posting a singles record of 18-15.
Yet, the U.S. Open has always been a special place for Osaka, from the time she started coming here as a kid to watch her heroes. Despite her struggle this year, she felt that she might be able to make something happen in Queens.
“I’m here, it’s the end of the year but I told myself I would make my last stand, if I could, in the U.S. Open and the Asian swing,” Osaka said after the match. “So, yeah, it’s almost like you have a deadline and you’re crunching at midnight to try to make it.”
Osaka has been a favorite here since 2018 when she beat Serena Williams, her childhood idol, in a controversial final that left both players in tears. Fans would like nothing more than to see her make a deep run.
Osaka’s next match is against unseeded Karolina Muchova. A U.S. Open semifinalist in 2023, Muchova has missed much of the season due to injuries but scored a 6-3, 7-5 win over American Katie Volynets earlier Tuesday.
This summer has already shown itself to be a ripe one for comeback stories. Simone Biles, who like Osaka has been very open in talking about her mental health challenges, won three gold medals at the Paris Olympics this summer. It was a triumphant return for Biles who had pulled herself out of the vault competition at the Tokyo Olympics three years earlier because of a case of the twisties.
Both Biles and Osaka have talked publicly and on social media about the need to prioritize mental health and their doing so has helped lessen the stigma for athletes and non-athletes alike.
Osaka recalled Tuesday what it was like when she wasn’t able to play during her maternity leave. As she walked onto the court to start the match, she almost teared up recalling how she attended last year’s U.S. Open as a spectator.
“I remember last year I was watching Coco play and I so badly wanted to step on these courts again and I didn’t know if I could,” she said referring to Coco Gauff, last year’s U.S. Open champion. “I didn’t know athletically, physically, if I was able to, and just to win this match and just to be in this atmosphere means so much to me.”
The U.S. Open has had nine different female winners in the last 10 years. Osaka is the only player to have won it twice in that stretch.
“I feel like, for me, this is my home court,” Osaka said. “It gives me so much more confidence. Like, I step on the court knowing that I probably have the most wins in the field [here]….Having two [title] wins here means a lot.
“I think, for me, I’ve been struggling with confidence throughout the year. And, this time now forces me to look in the mirror and say, ‘Hey, you’ve done really well here. There’s no reason why you can't do it well again.'"
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.