The return of the tennis player who disappeared when she was the best in the world

BarcelonaWith her shy laugh, Naomi Osaka greeted everyone on Center Court at Flushing Meadows. It had been many years since the Japanese player had been seen playing the way she is at this US Open. On Monday night, she surprisingly defeated Coco Gauff, a two-time champion of the tournament in recent years, in straight sets (6-3, 6-2). And she qualified for the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in 1,658 days. 1,658 days. More than four years. The last time she had done so, the world was still talking about the pandemic and Donald Trump was fighting in the courts, far from his return to the White House.

More than four years have passed since those last quarterfinals, when Osaka was the best player in the world. One of the athletes of the moment. Then, the daughter of a Haitian father and a Japanese mother suffered an anxiety attack. The pressure was on, everyone was asking her questions, everyone expected her to be perfect on and off the court. And she said quite a bit in the midst of the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics. Naomi Osaka's world seemed to stop. And the rest of the planet moved on, almost gradually forgetting her. If people were talking about Osaka before, then it was time to talk about Swiatek, Sabalenka, or Gauff, who took over as the highest-paid tennis player with the most endorsement deals. Little by little, people forgot about Naomi.

But Naomi Osaka's world hadn't stopped. She'd simply slowed down, exploring new paths and finding ways to be happy. In 2023, Osaka was in the stands at the US Open, a tournament she had won in 2018 and 2020, as a spectator. She wasn't playing because she had other priorities, having just given birth to her first child, Shai. Osaka surprised everyone with her presence in the stands, as she hadn't initially expected it. But she decided to show up to see Gauff in action, whom she has always respected.

In 2019, in fact, Osaka had defeated Gauff in the round of 16 when she was just 16 years old. At the end of the match, she cheered her on and offered to accompany her during the post-match interview, so she wouldn't leave her crying alone. The Japanese woman wanted to be with a teenager who was under a lot of pressure, because Gauff seemed destined to be the renovator of American tennis, and the press was already chasing her. Osaka knew what it meant to carry a lot of pressure and wanted to be with her rival. She has always spoken about the need to take care of one's mind. Later, in August 2023, Naomi was in New York because she was participating in a talk on mental health in sports with Michael Phelps and took advantage of the trip to watch tennis live from the stands.

Mother after a complicated pregnancy and an "extremely bad" postpartum

Now, at 27 and back on the court, Osaka has defeated Gauff again. After everything she's been through, not everyone believed in seeing her playing at the level she's at now. "Maybe I'm crazy or something. But I always feel like, before experiencing certain things, you have to imagine them. And then you have to believe them for them to come true. I believed as a child that I could play against Serena Williams, and I did. And now I feel like I can enjoy myself here again," said Osaka, who has been away for almost two years. She quit just as she was world number 1 in 2021. And then it wasn't easy becoming a mother either, because she had a complicated pregnancy, as the umbilical cord wrapped around the baby's neck, and an "extremely bad" postpartum, as she explained, but with a happy ending. She wouldn't return to the court until 2024, but she seemed out of shape and was eliminated in the first round of all the major tournaments.

By 2024, Osaka was a shadow at tournaments. A defeat wasn't even news. At Roland Garros, she cried in the press room, where she said she felt embarrassed by her then-coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, who had worked with Serena Williams. "I used to work with the best, and now he works with me," the Japanese woman said sadly, admitting that she always feels uncomfortable in the press room. Osaka received many questions, especially since 2020, when she decided to speak out and join the anti-racism campaign. Black Lives Matter, for which she came out to play wearing masks bearing the names of Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, Ahmaud Arbery, Trayvon Martin, and George Floyd, African Americans killed by security forces. Taking a stand meant more questions, debates, and criticism.

The fact that she ran advertising campaigns claiming to love fashion and was brave enough to talk about racism and mental health also meant that she was heavily criticized when she decided to stop competing for a few months due to the pressure. Upon her return in 2024, she seemed incapable of winning again, but a few months ago something began to change. The change of coach in 2025—she now works with the Polish Tomasz Wiktorowski—helped, and she felt she could win again. She had to take a step back, and in April she signed up for a minor clay-court tournament in Saint-Malo, France. She won. It was her first title in more than four years. Then came a key match in Montreal in the second round against Liudmila Samsonova, in which she saved two match points.

"I was very frustrated for a long time because I felt I was playing well, but there was something I don't know if I was missing or it was just a mentality issue. Then I played against Samsonova and I didn't give up until the last point. Obviously, I was bigger than I ended up winning." Osaka, who would go on to lose the final to Victoria Mboko. At the end of the match, she didn't greet her opponent and was criticized. "I forgot; I was touched, it was a mistake," Osaka would justify herself, finally feeling competitive again.

Naomi Osaka: activism through Labubus

At this US Open, we've seen a different Naomi Osaka. She looks more relaxed, calm, and exudes peace. She goes out to warm up with large headphones and an increasingly personal style, embracing all the influences of Asian fashion, like any good Japanese woman. Bright colors, headbands with ears and giant bows as if she were a manga character. She has a vast inner world, where music, reading, and comics blend, and she externalizes it. As she has done with Labubus, the toys designed in 2015 by illustrator Kasing Lung inspired by Norse mythology and Asian design. One of the latest global trends has reached tennis with her.

Every time she steps onto the court, she wears a different Labubu. A trend, true. But she has incorporated it into her world, where trends can have a message. When asked about her latest Labubu, silver and shiny, she explained that "it's called "Althea Glitterson," in homage to Althea Gibson, the first Black Grand Slam champion. One of the previous Labubus paid tribute to Billie Jean King, 12-time Grand Slam champion and activist against sexism and homophobia. Another christened it Arthur Flash. It serves as a trend among young people to vindicate the first tennis players who overcame racial barriers. If you want, to continue winning and claiming whatever you want.