"I remember watching Carlos Alcaraz and practicing dropshots because I'm going to play like he does"- Naomi Osaka on her renewed love for tennis

Naomi Osaka has admitted that she refound her love for tennis during her time on the sidelines in 2023.

The Japanese had to take time away from the game as she was on maternity leave, and is now scheduled to commence her 2024 season at the Brisbane International with a first-round clash against Tamara Korpatsch. In July, Osaka and rapper Cordae welcomed their daughter Shai, and the former has been busy training since then.

Speaking at her pre-tournament press conference in Brisbane, Naomi Osaka admitted that watching other players go about their business this year made her appreciate tennis once again.

In particular, watching Carlos Alcaraz destroy opponents with his drop shots at Wimbledon, a tournament he eventually went on to win, made the four-time Grand Slam champion want to do the same herself.

"Of course, I'm not going to sit here and say that I've never loved tennis. Of course I loved it. I think after a certain point, I just felt more relieved to win, if that makes sense. It was a little hard dealing with that. Instead of being happy to win, I felt more relief," Naomi Osaka said.

"Yeah, I think for me just having this time away watching other players, appreciating them a lot. I remember watching Wimbledon, watching Alcaraz going to the court and practicing dropshots because I'm going to play like dropshots like he does. I guess in a way being a kid again, being inspired by other players, wanting to play on the big courts," she added.

"I feel definitely I'm nervous, I haven't played a match in a long time" - Naomi Osaka

Australia Brisbane Tennis

Naomi Osaka also shed light on her mental status ahead of playing once again after a long while, with her last match coming at the Tokyo Open in 2022. The 26-year-old star conceded that she is feeling nervous as there are a lot of things going on in her head.

Regardless, Osaka is looking forward to walking out onto the tennis court once again and absorbing the energy from countless fans cheering for her from the stands.

"I feel definitely I'm nervous, I haven't played a match in a long time, but I'm competitive so I'm thinking I'm nervous and I want to win. There's a lot of things that are going on in my head," Naomi Osaka said.

"I think the biggest thing is just walking onto the court and sort of absorbing all the energy and experiencing the atmosphere for me is something that I'm definitely going to treasure a lot," she added.