One of the biggest stars in tennis, Naomi Osaka, has suggested she may not stick around in the game if her results don’t improve.
The 27-year-old was a revelation when she first entered the sport as she quickly ascended the rankings, won her first major — the US Open in 2018, aged 20 — and went on to win the Australian Open the following year, the US Open again in 2020, and then the Australian Open again in 2021. In total, she has seven career titles on the WTA Tour, and has made $22 million in prize money alone.
Days before the 2023 Australian Open, Osaka withdrew from the major as she was expecting her first child. She returned to the sport at the start of the year, struggled in the biggest tournaments, and cited a back injury as a reason to end her season in October. Unless she can improve upon her current world rank of 57 as the tennis season gets underway imminently, then, she said, she may not be around much longer.
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Naomi Osaka Suggests Retirement if She Can’t Rapidly Improve
Osaka wants to compete at the top or not at all
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Speaking Sunday to reporters in Auckland, where she is set to compete in the ASB Classic which runs from the 28th of December to the 11th of January, Osaka spoke of her respect for the tour and the professionals who compete in it, and that if she can’t win titles, then she’d rather spend her time at home with her child.