Osaka back and feeling the love

Naomi Osaka should have been rustier than an old Holden ute. In her first match in 15 months, she was spectacularly good.

Naomi Osaka showed no signs of rustiness on her return to international tennis Picture: AFP

Naomi Osaka and Ash Barty seemed primed for a rivalry to match Chris Evert/Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf/Monica Seles, Margaret Court/Billie-Jean King (then and now), Serena Williams/Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams/Venus Williams, Serena Williams/Everyone.

They were moving towards the mothers of all battles for major titles but unless Barty returns and we get a few battle of young mothers, we can only kick the cat and wonder what might have been.

Barty is 27. At home with baby. Osaka is 26. On tour with baby. She should’ve been rustier than an old seaside Holden ute in her first match in 15 months but her 6-3 7-6 (11/9) victory over Germany’s capable Tamara Korpatsch was staggeringly impressive. Korpatsch wasn’t overwhelmed, just completely overpowered by a two-time Australian Open champion who could win a third by the end of the month if Monday’s showing was any indication.

“I was super nervous playing the entire time,” Osaka said. “But I was really excited to be out here. It feels really good to be back, so thank you.”

And everybody swooned, “You’re welcome.” She was incredibly, irrefutably good. Fearless. Ferocious. Nervous? She showed none of it until a couple of late wobbles. New year, new you, that corny old line, new Osaka? The same Osaka? A better Osaka? You never lose the ability to hit a clean tennis ball. Barty could park her pram in the back corner of a court and still make a sliced backhand sing. Match-toughness is the thing that takes a while to return. That should have been Osaka’s challenge but she barely blinked.

Wearing a tank top the colour of sunrise, she asked the umpire, Thomas Sweeney, before play, “Is there any rules I don’t know about?” He replied, “No, we’re just playing tennis.”

She returned immediately to her powerhouse, pulverising brand. Lots of winners and precious few misses. A first-strike approach that can blow most of her peers off any court at any time at any tournament in the world. She oozed confidence, intent, assuredness. The body language was strong and stress free. When she missed an extravagant, leaping, Pete Sampras-style volley in the second set, she giggled like she’d heard a good knock-knock joke.

All unexpected. I underestimated her. I thought she’d be making up the numbers at the Australian Open. Thought she’d take a while to hit her straps. She’s clearly here to play. Big serve, big forehand, big backhand, she’s a big chance of causing damage at the Open.

She’s at the right place to gauge her standing. The Brisbane International is a mini-Australian Open. The top two seeds are last year’s Open finalists, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina.

She next faces former world No.1 Karolina Pliskova. Then, possibly, a quarter-final against world No.12 Jelena Ostapenko. All baby steps back towards the big time. She’s such an underdog she doesn’t even have a world ranking. After a lifetime of pressure, what a joy that must be.

Never has Osaka smiled and laughed so often in a match. Her challenge is to keep chillin’ like a villain if she moves within reach of fairytale tournament triumphs in Brisbane and/or Melbourne.

That was the complication on Monday. She led 6-3, 5-3 when her head got in the way. When a little rust revealed itself after all. Psychological rust.

She quickly lost serve and nerve. Shanked a smash at 5-all, blinking, but she fought her way through.

Faced tension and stared it down. Survived the ultimate in high-stakes match play.

A 20-point tie-breaker. She recovered from losing match points, saved sets point, the rough and tumble, overcame all.

Hugely promising. It might come to nothing. Or something special might be brewing.

Osaka never used to mingle too much with fans but she went overtime with them on Monday.

New year, new you, new phase of Osaka’s career, perhaps a new-found maturity.

“I feel like the last couple of years that I played, before I had my daughter I didn’t return as much love as I was given,” she said.

“I feel like that’s what I really want to do in this chapter.”