NEW YORK – Two years ago, Naomi Osaka sat in the stands at Arthur Ashe Stadium and saw Coco Gauff win over Karolina Muchova to advance to the US Open Finals.
For Osaka, it reminded me of where she was and where she was in the present moment.
She was removed for three years from her final title in the tournament, and is only two months after giving birth to her daughter, Shy. Being an audience reminded her of what it would be like to play in front of 24,000 people when the light is shining brightest. She couldn’t wait to get out there again.
Although she hadn’t officially returned to practice, Osaka imagined herself, playing against top players and drawing in depth into the slams.
A few weeks later, she was more motivated than ever.
On Monday, Osaka returned to Arthur Ash Stadium. But this time she was in court and faced Gouf, now a two-time major champion and third seed in the tournament.
It was hyped as a must-see match between the former US Open Champion and the sport’s biggest stars, but the match itself contained little drama. Instead, the 27-year-old Osaka recorded her biggest, perhaps most memorable victory of her comeback with a dominant 6-3, 6-2 victory in just 64 minutes to advance to her first major quarter final since 2021.
That meant everything.
“I’m a little sensitive and I don’t want to cry, but honestly, I had so much fun here,” Osaka said in a court moment. “I was telling everyone. I was literally in the stands two months after my daughter gave birth to a girl who was watching Coco. I just really wanted the opportunity to come out and play. This is my favorite court in the world and it means I’m back here.”
Six years agoUntil almost that day, Osaka and Gouf played for the first time.
Osaka is the reigning champion, number one in the world, and Gouf is a 15-year-old genius who was excited by the world in his fourth round at Wimbledon early in the summer. It was also billed as not an event of a mistake at Ash between the two upstarts.
However, Osaka dominated the third round match 6-3, 6-0, so it may be hardly forgotten. However, when Gouf cried out in court, Osaka comforted her and asked her to do post-match interviews (usually just for the winners only). Osaka praised Gouf and her parents for a beautiful moment of sportsmanship. Even if their careers were on a significantly different path, the two players have been essentially linked.
Osaka ultimately lost in New York’s next round, but again won the title the following year, in addition to its second Australian open title at the start of the 2021 season. She is above the tennis world, and the clear heir revealed to Serena Williams’ throne is revealed as the most dominant and recognizable person in women’s tennis.
What happened next is well documented. She announced that she would skip the newspaper meeting at the French Open a few months later, which caused a media fire and retreated ahead of her second round match. She skipped Wimbledon. She lost in the third round at the Tokyo Olympics and the US Open. Following her early exit in New York, she tearfully told reporters she was thinking about taking a break from sports.
“When I recently won, I feel like I’m not happy,” Osaka explained. “I feel relieved, and when I lose, I feel very sad. I don’t think that’s normal.”
Osaka returned to the 2022 season, but lost in the third round at the Australian Open and then failed to win another big match. She announced her pregnancy a few days before the start of the 2023 Australia Open, and many wondered whether she would play again.
Meanwhile, through Osaka’s struggle and maternity leave, Gouf continued to climb the rankings. She reached her first major final at the 2022 French Open, winning her first slam title at the 2023 US Open, two days after Osaka saw her from the crowd. This summer, Gouf won his second major title at the French Open.
Motivated by Osaka, who wanted to win for her daughter at a high level seen by Goff and the rest of the top players at the US Open, was hoping to return to her in 2024.
However, she did not see the immediate results she wanted. She had a flash of vintage shapes, but most notably, she struggled with the best player and most important moments in her second round clash with Iga Swiatek at last year’s French Open. She was unable to advance past the second round in the majors in 2024.
Disappointed by her year, she fired coach Wim Fisett at the end of the season and brought in Patrick Mouratoggle, best known for her long-term partnership with Williams. They had some decent results, including an Australian Open and a third appearance at Wimbledon, a 125-level title and runner-up in Auckland, but in July there were two other ways.
Since then, Osaka has begun working with Thomas Wiktrowski, who had previously won multiple major titles. (Swiatek is currently using Fissette.) The outcome – the outcome she’d been desperately craving since the start of her comeback – was right away.
Last month’s Canada Open – in their first tournament – Osaka removed one after another impressive victory, reaching its first 1000-level final since 2022. She calls it the turning point of her attitude and self-belief.
“Since then I’ve started to think anything is possible,” Osaka said Monday after defeating Gouf. “You need to do your best (and) have a smile on your face.”
Osaka lost three sets to Victoria Mboko in the final, but she arrived in New York for the first time since giving birth, seeded into the slums. She was clearly confident and supported by momentum — and was pleased with her partnership with Wiktrovsky.
“I’m working with a new coach,” Osaka said at the start of the US. “He’s really amazing. He’s incredibly kind. He chases and makes him feel like an encyclopedia of tennis.
Osaka has always said that the US Open was her favorite tournament. Before she won her first major title — against her childhood friend Williams in the controversial and dramatic final — she was a young child, attending as a fan after watching tournaments on TV and dreamed of playing the day at events. Although she represents Japan, some of her childhoods spent in New York, and crowds often give her homeland treatment.
The tour is a different place, with a new face above the rankings, and Osaka is now a different person than what was during the title runs in 2018 and 2020, and is responsible for being a parent in addition to the interests of the entrepreneur. However, her goals on the tennis court remain the same.
And now, it seems she is in a position to achieve them again, despite all the changes.
Osaka has been revived throughout the tournament, and appears to be a player who once dominated the Queens hard court very easily. She dropped only one set – to No. 15 seed Daria Kasatkina in the third round – but otherwise he has solid control. Osaka showed off her moves from the start, showing off her powerful serving and resolution against Gouf, who is involved in the difficult process of overhauling her movements in real time. She scored 32 of the 38 points she served, converting all four breakpoints, winning 16 of 24 rallys with five or more shots, according to the WTA.
When it was finished, she remained largely composed, with a big smile on her face as her team and the family in her box jumped up and down, excited to exchange hugs and high fives.
Broken in the opening game, Gauff had five double faults on the go, including one to seal the first set. The 21-year-old also received 33 forced errors.
“I’m sorry,” Gouf said after the match. “It certainly wasn’t at the level I wanted to bring, but it was a step in the right direction that I feel, and I think how emotional I took this week.
At other times in her career, Osaka couldn’t hide her frustration in court, and sometimes seemed to have collapsed under pressure. However, on Monday and through her run in New York, Osaka appears to have little flapping wings, showing incredible calm and aggressiveness. She acknowledged that the changes in attitude and body language were intentional and indicate where she is currently mentally.
“For me, the main thing I want to take from this tournament is just laughing and having fun,” Osaka said. “I just wanted to be grateful to be in this game. Yeah, she’s one of the best players in the world. Honestly, I enjoy the most when I play against the best players.
On Wednesday, Osaka will take on the No. 11 seed Muchiba in the quarterfinals. She has come a long way since watching Muchiba play in the semi-finals two years ago, but it’s also where she always believed she was back. Osaka, who called Muchiba “one of the most talented tennis players” on Monday, knows it’s a challenge. They have played twice since Osaka’s return and split the series. Osaka won its final meeting in three sets at the Australian Open earlier this year.
Osaka has been undefeated in major quarterfinals in her career, but she has not put much pressure on herself. It was expected to return to the top 20 for the first time since 2022, following the US Open.
“I feel really relaxed,” Osaka told reporters. “I’m not stressed at all. For me, I just wanted to have a better year than last year, and I already wanted to do that in Montreal.
