Osaka takes baby steps towards her 'Chapter 2

The four-time major champion returned to professional tennis after 15 months, beating Germany’s Tamara Korpatsch

- Rutvick Mehta

In the modern era where most of the world's top athletes do not shy away from giving a glimpse into their lives through social media, Naomi Osaka is somewhat an oddity.

The Japanese-born American tennis star's posts to her 1.1 million followers on X are few and far between. However, on the not-so-frequent occasions when she puts her inner thoughts out for the wider world's consumption, the written word speaks a lot about her state of mind.

On December 15 2023, for instance, she posted a note on her social media handles thanking people for believing in her, putting up with her and "allowing me to grow up on my own time". She added: "I know we've shared some really amazing memories and I also know that I've done some things that I wish I would've handled differently (lol)." Osaka signed off conveying her excitement of setting foot on "chapter 2 of this tennis journey".

That chapter 2 has begun on a promising note. The four-time Grand Slam champion returned to professional tennis after 15 months beating Germany's Tamara Korpatsch 6-3, 7-6(9) in the first round of the WTA Brisbane International on Monday.

It marked the 26-year-old's first match since September 2022, and her first victory in a completed match since August 2022.