Here’s What Naomi Osaka Has Been Up to Since Her Last US Open in 2022

She’s continued to be a mental health advocate.

As a public figure, Osaka uses her platform to make a difference—especially when it comes to destigmatizing mental health. For one, her production company Hana Kuma launched a mental health video series last year called Can’t Wait to Hear From You (which Osaka herself has guest-hosted). She also joined Michael Phelps and US Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy for an open discussion about topics ranging from loneliness to asking for help.

“Growing up, I was told to tough it out and I was in my head thinking athletes are supposed to stick it out and you’re actually weak if you show your emotions,” she shared during the panel. “But then I got to a place where I needed to ask for help…. I have a really good group of people around me, so it was just the process of asking.”

Actually, she’s competed a lot this year.

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Osaka’s long-awaited return to professional tennis came in January at the Brisbane International tournament. It was her first time playing since September 2022; she won her opening match but lost in the second round to Karolína Plíšková. “I was very nervous but it’s really nice to be back and surrounded by a good atmosphere,” Osaka said in a post-game press conference.

In the past year, she’s continued to compete in WTA tournaments, although she hasn’t advanced as far as she used to. The former world number one only reached the third round at the 2024 Indian Wells and Miami Open last March. As she promised, Osaka was also at the Australian Open in January, but she lost in the first round to Caroline Garcia.

“Of course, I have to tell myself, ‘Hey, six months ago you were pregnant,’” Osaka told reporters about her defeat. “There’s a voice in my head like, ‘Who are you to think you can come back and immediately start winning matches?’ But I kind of always expect myself to stand a chance anyways, so I guess being nice to myself is a key thing I’ve learned in my time away.”

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In May, she made it to the fourth round at the Italian Open, taking down superstars like number 10 ranked Daria Kasatkina and number 19 Marta Kostyuk in straight sets before losing to Qinwen Zheng (who, fun fact, won gold at this year’s Olympics).

Osaka snagged her first Grand Slam match win since 2022.

Earlier this summer, Osaka returned to the clay courts at the 2024 French Open, where she scored her first Grand Slam win since the 2022 Australian Open after defeating Lucia Bronzetti. In the second round, she faced off the current world number one Iga Świątek, and, despite losing, Osaka called the match one of her most “memorable” and “fun.”

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“I cried when I got off the court, but then I realized I was watching Iga win this tournament last year when I was pregnant, and it was just my dream to be able to play her,” Osaka told reporters. “When I think of it like that, I think I’m doing pretty well. I’m also just trying not to be too hard on myself.”

She also won her first Wimbledon match in six years.

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The tennis star hadn’t played on the iconic grass courts since 2019. (Wimbledon was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic; she withdrew in 2021 for personal reasons, skipped 2022 due to the Achilles injury, and was on maternity leave last year.) This July, though, Osaka made her highly-anticipated return to London.