Time off 'fueled a fire' as Naomi Osaka confirms 2024 return months after giving birth

Naomi Osaka says she plans to return to competitive tennis after giving birth in July.

The former No. 1 four-time Grand Slam champion had a daughter with her boyfriend, rapper Cordae, in July. Osaka told ESPN her 2024 schedule will include "definitely way more tournaments than I used to play. So, I think some people will be happy with that."

Osaka continued: "I think it’s because I realized that I don’t know how the beginning of the year is going to go for me. I don’t know the level of play and I think I have to ease into it. So at the very least, I’m going to set myself up for a very good end of the year."

Osaka, 25, has not played since September 2022, and the next major is the Australian Open in January. She admitted to missing being on the court and is eager to get back in action.

"I’ve been watching matches and I’m like, 'I wish I was playing too,'" Osaka said. "But I’m in this position now and I’m very grateful. I really love my daughter a lot, but I think it really fueled a fire in me."

Osaka spent 25 weeks at the top of the WTA rankings and won two U.S. Open and two Australian Open titles.

At the 2021 French Open, she was fined $15,000 for not speaking at the tournament, citing mental health, and said that being forced to speak at news conferences after losses created self-doubt with players on tour.

Osaka returned to the U.S. Open this week to appear at a mental health forum, saying she wants to be an advocate for people going through similar things.

"I feel like I am someone that’s learning all the time. Obviously, I learned a lot from the talk as I was talking," Osaka said. "I would say my role is just raising awareness and letting people know that they’re not alone."