Naomi Osaka's return to Grand Slam tennis didn't go as planned.
The 26-year-old tennis star lost in the first round of the 2024 Australian Open on Monday to 16th-seeded Caroline Garcia 6-4, 7-6. It was Osaka's first Major match since the 2022 U.S. Open, when she took time off from tennis for her own wellbeing.
Despite the loss, Osaka has a lot of positives to draw from the match.
"I thought it was a really good match," Osaka said in her post-match press conference. "For me, I felt like I did the best that I could possibly do. It was just really nice to be on Rod Laver again, hear the audience, how much they interacted with the match. That was fun."
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Garcia, a 30-year-old from France, managed to remain unbroken on her serve against one of the best returners in the game.
In the first set, Garcia made her game plan clear, stepping into Osaka's second serve. The first four games were neck and neck but with a few loose errors and missed first serves from Osaka, Garcia earned a break to go up 3-2. Garcia went on to close the first set 6-4, being the player who was in control of points to Osaka’s reactive play. Garcia won a remarkable 87% of her first serve points and 67% of her second serve points.
In the second set, Osaka was looking resilient, stepping into her shots more. She also served a lot better, winning 89% of first serve points. She created a 5-4 and 6-5 lead, but between Garcia's ability to absorb power so well and her craftiness in implementing drop shots, it wasn't enough for Osaka to close out the set. In the tiebreaker, Garcia's serve and forehand were on fire. She earned herself a 6-2 lead in the tiebreaker and closed out the match on her first try.
"I think I still feel like a bit disappointed," Osaka said. "I don't know if I'm disappointed in myself. I don't think that's possible because I really feel like I couldn't have done more with the circumstances. I did feel nervous, but I felt like I kept telling myself to be positive. I thought I kept doing better as the match went on."
Her next opportunity to compete at a Major will be in the French Open in May. In the meantime, the former world No. 1 will try to regain her momentum in other events while caring for her baby girl.
In July 2023, Osaka and her boyfriend, rapper Cordae, announced the birth of their daughter, Shai. At the time, Osaka said being a mother gives her a whole new perspective on the game of tennis -- playing not only for the glory of winning but also to be an example for her little girl.
"I think about Shai a lot," Osaka said. "Before my match, I got sent a video of her. She wasn't obviously saying good luck, but I got a video of someone saying, 'Shai says good luck.' It was really cute. It made me happy and motivated, but at the same time a little frustrated because I felt like I should do better with the time I had away from her."
Osaka said she plans to play WTA events in Dubai, Indian Wells, Miami, and Charleston, then likely a full clay season in preparation for the French Open.
In the meantime, Garcia returns to action in the second round of the Australian Open and will face Poland's Magdalena Fręch.
