Naomi Osaka Shares Positive Message Following Loss in Brisbane, Looks Ahead to the Australian Open

The 26-year-old fought hard in her second match back and looks to do the same in Melbourne later this month.

Naomi Osaka.Chris Hyde/Getty Images

For the first time in over a year, Japanese professional tennis player Naomi Osaka took to the court for a match on Dec. 31. The first stop in her Australian tour was the Brisbane International, a WTA tournament in Brisbane, Australia.

The 26-year-old won her first match back following the birth of her daughter in straight sets, officially embarking on her comeback tour. But, unfortunately, she couldn’t keep the streak going. After a hard-fought three-set match, Osaka fell in the second round of the tournament to Karolína Plíšková.

But Osaka is far from discouraged. She took to Instagram to offer some positive reflections following her early exit from her first tournament back, and to share her mindset heading into future play.

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A post shared by 大坂なおみ🇭🇹🇯🇵 (@naomiosaka)

“I can’t put into words how much fun that was for me yesterday,” she wrote in the caption of the post. “Thank you and I’ll see you in Melbourne ☺️❤️.”

The former world No. 1 fought hard in her second match back on the court and should be proud of the result, even though it wasn’t in her favor.

She will take to the court again in a little over a week, hitting the Australian Open courts in Melbourne in the hopes of reclaiming a title that was once hers. Of her four Grand Slam titles, two were won at the Australian Open, in 2019 and 2021. Of course, she will hope to add to that number again come the end of January. But, regardless of the result, if her attitude after the Brisbane International is any indication, she will simply appreciate hard-fought matches on her part.

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