She had been working tirelessly for the previous seven weeks with her team on and off the court at a private residence in Sherman Oaks, California, and on this day, it was as if everything that had made her a four-time major champion and world No.Someone suggested filming part of their practice on that sunny Friday, but Osaka’s coach, Wim Fissette, didn’t need to check the footage to know what he was seeing with his own eyesTennis
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Naomi Osaka returns to tennis — with a new joy and perspective
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Osaka focused on balancing motherhood with return to tennis (2:49)
D’Arcy Maine, ESPN.com
Jan 12, 2024, 06:42 AM ET
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IT WAS DEC. 1 when everything seemed to come together — again — for Naomi Osaka.
She had been working tirelessly for the previous seven weeks with her team on and off the court at a private residence in Sherman Oaks, California, and on this day, it was as if everything that had made her a four-time major champion and world No. 1 clicked back into place.
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Someone suggested filming part of their practice on that sunny Friday, but Osaka’s coach, Wim Fissette, didn’t need to check the footage to know what he was seeing with his own eyes.
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“She was suddenly flying over the court and destroying every ball,” Fissette said. “She was incredible. I don’t know if she was inspired by the camera and wanted to show off her movement but that was when I thought, ‘She’s pretty much exactly where she needs to be to compete.'”
Standing nearby, Florian Zitzelsberger, her performance coach, couldn’t help but think she looked even better than she did before her break from the sport.
“I thought, ‘She’s so much more flexible now, she’s moving better, she’s so much more healthy,'” Zitzelsberger said.
Osaka later posted some of the video on her social media accounts. It didn’t take long to get the attention of tennis fans who were quick to comment:
“She’s BACK.”
“Motherhood definitely just makes something clickkk bc babyyy.. you really feel invincible!”
“She’s hitting like Serena. Watch the hell out folks she’s ready to come back.”