The smiles have said so much about Noami Osaka’s new outlook as she has made a successful return to the WTA Tour.
Osaka’s first tournament appearance in more than two years ended with a second-round defeat to 16th seed Karolina Pliskova at the Brisbane International, but this was a return that offered real hope for the four-time Grand Slam winner.
Following an opening-round win over Germany’s Tamara Korpatsch on Monday, Osaka looked to keep her momentum going against the Czech world No 39 but was ultimately outlasted 3-6 7-6 (4) 6-4.
In a battle of two former world No 1’s, Osaka exploded out of the gates to claim the first set before Pliskova began to find her footing in the second.
After surviving an early break point, Pliskova capitalised on her serve to take control of the match, going on to win 92 per cent of her first service points in the set.
Osaka continued to threaten throughout the final set, but was unable to make the most of her remaining opportunities in the narrow loss.
The Japanese star returned to the court on Monday for the first time since withdrawing from the Pan Pacific Trophy with a knee injury in September 2021 and she became a mother for the first time in July.
Yet throughout her time back on the court and, equally significantly, in her media duties, Osaka appears to have returned to tennis will a very differen mindset than the one she left with.
This is a player who pulled out of the French Open and Wimbledon back in 2021 after she attempted to avoid taking part in media activities, yet she has seemed relaxed and even appeared to be enjoying her exchanges with the press in Brisbane.
She also admitted she has been more open with her fellow players, with her previous approach seeing her step back from befriending rivals as she isolated herself from the rest of the players.
“I think I’m enjoying myself a lot more, and I also realize there’s a lot of things that aren’t in my control,” said Osaka. “I feel more aware that I’m playing the best players in the world. Both of us have an opportunity to win.
“I also just think I’ve trained so hard after giving birth that I need to enjoy these moments, and I also think in a way watching (Maria) Sharapova, Serena (Williams) retiring, I know that the tennis lifespan isn’t that long, so I should enjoy it while I can.”
She also believes her defeat against two-time Grand Slam finalists Pliskova was a step forward, as she proved she was ready to compete with top players once again.
“I think for me even stepping on the court is a personal win because a couple of weeks ago I was even doubting if I could play with everyone,” continued Osaka.
“So I guess these two matches that I’ve had kind of prove to me that I am doing OK, and the year is just going to get better for me.
“Even though it’s super disappointing today, I know that if I keep training and if I keep putting in the work, then I’ll eventually get to where I want to be.
“I’m not really sure if I can be too hard on myself if that makes sense. I knew going into the match, we had stats on where she serves specifically, but then she changed it up on me.
“I knew that she was going to play really well, and whenever I play her, it’s always three sets. The week is definitely shorter than I wanted it to be, but overall I think it was a great match, and I had a lot of fun.”
Looking ahead to the Australian Open, Osaka was optimistic she could can be a real threat heading into the first Grand Slam of 2023.
“I just relearned that, this is my opinion, but I think I have a lot of heart,” she added. “I think when I’m playing and I’m at my best, I’m just really putting my entire soul into every point.
“So, I don’t know, it was fun to play that and rediscover that feeling again.”
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