Naomi Osaka has made a triumphant return to Wimbledon, winning her opening match against Frenchwoman Diane Parry 6-1, 1-6, 6-4.
In doing so, she returned to the world’s top 100 according to the WTA live rankings, for the first time since falling out of the elite group in April 2023. She now sits at No 96 in the world, with the potential to make a surge up the rankings with a deep run at Wimbledon over the next fortnight.
Following the match, Osaka shared on social media how important the milestone was to her.
“GUESS WHO’S BACK IN THE TOP 100” she posted on X, before sharing a screenshot of the tweet with the caption, “Also yes. This means a lot to me, probably more this time around.”.
Trademark Naomi Osaka power ?
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 1, 2024
For the first time since 2019, Naomi Osaka returns to Wimbledon, with a win ??#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/tmW9DRCIWB
Osaka relieved to pass opening test at Wimbledon
Former No 1 Osaka has not played at Wimbledon since 2019, when she lost her opening match to Yulia Putintseva.
She avoided a repeat of her last performance on Monday, but not without a few hairy moments against the talented Parry.
“I mean, for me, it felt really fun and really stressful at the same time,” Osaka confessed after the match. “It was fun because the crowd was so engaged. It was just really fun. It felt like an arena.
“The match I think was a little up-and-down, but I think overall it was something that I can take a lot away from.”
In her on-court interview, Osaka revealed that she was just relieved to have not played a deciding set tiebreak–likely a nod to her last Grand Slam match, where she lost to Iga Swiatek after having match point.
“I feel like today honestly felt very hectic just because of the way she played,” the Japanese continued.
“I felt that I had to constantly tell myself to be in control of the point. When she was slicing and stuff, it was a little stressful. I feel really relieved to have won this in three sets. I think it will do good for my character development.”
Big changes in one year
This time last year, things were very different for Osaka.
She had just given birth to her first child, and was ranked outside the world’s top 400.
“I’m just really excited to be here,” Osaka confessed on Monday. “It’s funny because Wimbledon was the first tournament I watched after pregnancy. My daughter’s turning one tomorrow, so I’m really glad to be here.
“It feels like a dream. I know I haven’t played here many times, but I’m so grateful that so many people came here and cheered.”
Despite her relative inexperience on grass (25 matches with a win-loss of 14-11), Osaka is now an outside chance of winning her fifth Grand Slam in London. Tennis bookmakers have her as the ninth favorite overall.
Her next big test will come in round two, where she faces off against No 19 seed Emma Navarro for a spot in the third round.
