Naomi Osaka believes she’ll be fit for Australian Open campaign

Dual Australian Open winner Naomi Osaka believes a heartbreaking decision could help her pull together a strong tournament.

Two-time Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka has a clear mind and a mended heart after sacrificing a chance to end a four-year title drought to prioritise her grand slam preparation.

An abdominal injury forced Osaka to withdraw from the ASB Classic final in Auckland last week despite claiming the first set 6-4 against Switzerland’s Clara Tauson.

Osaka, 27, was playing in her first tour final since returning to tennis following the birth of her daughter, and was within reach of her first title since she conquered all at Melbourne Park for the second time in 2021.

The world No. 50 said parts of her injury prognosis “didn’t look great”, but was adamant she would meet France’s Caroline Garcia in a rematch of their first-round clash last year.

“I think my mindset now is probably the most clear it’s been in a very long time,” Osaka told reporters on Friday.

Naomi Osaka trains on Friday in a bid to prove her fitness after an abdominal injury cost her a shot at a drought-breaking title win in Auckland. Picture: William West / AFP

“Obviously I did pretty well in Auckland … I know I lost, debatably lost, in the final, (but) in my head I kind of won it.

“I’m really excited to play here. I’m also excited to be here with (new coach Patrick Mouratoglou) because technically we haven’t lost yet … it’s going to be a good run, I think.”

Osaka said an elusive title slipping from her grasp so late had been “devastating”, but her performance throughout the lead-in tournament had left her optimistic success was around the corner.

“In that moment it was devastating … I felt like basically I could touch it. It just sucked, because I felt like my body wasn’t keeping up with what my mind wanted it to do,” she said.

“Obviously, I was very concerned about my chances of playing here – it felt like the best decision was to pull out, even though I didn’t really want to.

Naomi Osaka was emotional after withdrawing from the ASB Classic final with a one-set-to-nil lead in Auckland on Sunday. Picture: Michael Bradley / AFP

“I’m strangely over it now. 30 minutes after it happened, I was over it, because I feel like I’m playing really well. I can only just keep continuing, and hopefully I’ll get to another final.”

Osaka had a busy schedule in 2024 as she properly settled back into life on tour, but she flagged a “quality over quantity” approach to her assignments this year.

“Last year was a little unusual for me, just because I also made a commitment to myself to play as many tournaments as I could,” she said.

“That was really fun, because I could see places that I haven’t seen in a very long time or experience new tournaments.

“I think this year I’m making it a priority to obviously play less than last year, but I want to do better in each tournament … I hope that I do really well at this tournament so I can start my schedule off in a more consistent manner.”

Originally published as Naomi Osaka believes she’ll be fit for Australian Open campaign