Naomi Osaka is sharing her thoughts about getting back into the tennis court following her pregnancy and welcoming her new daughter Shai in July. The US Open champion opened up about how she felt returning to the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City, as she prepared to be part of a mental health awareness panel, which included retired Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps.

During her interview with ESPN, Naomi revealed that she “felt a lot of joy coming back” and she felt an “itch to play again.” She went on to explain that she “will have to wait until next year,” but she feels ready for her January 2024 comeback for the Australian Open, after being away from the court to focus on her pregnancy.

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“I realized that I don’t know how the beginning of the year is going to go for me,” she said. “I don’t know the level of play, and I think I have to ease into it. At the very least, I’m going to set myself up for a very good end of the year.”

And while she has yet to play again, Naomi explained that she has been watching multiple matches. “I kind of wish I was playing too,” she said, adding that she feels “very grateful” despite not playing at the moment. “I really love my daughter a lot, but I think it really fueled a fire in me,” she declared.

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“I definitely only know this world, the tennis world, and just being away from that for a long time, it was new for me,” Naomi concluded. “I think it was just the whole new situation and not being able to train like I wanted to things like that, it kind of made me feel like I just had to stay at home and, you know how doctors tell you not to travel after a certain amount of weeks, it just felt like a lot of restrictions. I think that was what it was.”