Osaka: “I really want to get a career Grand Slam”

Naomi Osaka has won four Grand Slam titles but doesn’t have them all in her trophy cabinet. She’s yet to lay hands on the Roland Garros and Wimbledon silverware and she wishes to do that soon.

At the recent Australian Open, the tournament she has won twice in 2019 and 2021, the former world No 1 met an unfortunate ending as she was forced to quit her third-round match against Belinda Bencic (7-6 (3)) due to an abdominal injury, after registering convincing wins over No 20 seed Karolina Muchova and Caroline Garcia.

Osaka has been struggling with her abdomen since October 2024, when she had to stop competing against Coco Gauff (3-6, 6-4) in the China Open last 16 with ruptured muscles. The issue handed her the most brutal heartbreak in Auckland, where she couldn’t continue in the ASB Classic final against Clara Tauson despite winning the opening set (4-6).

However, it’s all in the past and the Japanese star is set to start afresh at Indian Wells. Ahead of the event, she laid bare in an interview her objective of completing the career Grand Slam.

“I think I’m playing really well, even from last year, the end of last year,” Osaka told CNN. “I got injured there too. But I’ve beaten some really good players. So I hope that I can continue that trend. I have a lot of goals going forward.

“For as long as I can play, I really want to win Wimbledon and Roland Garros and get a career Grand Slam. It’s interesting when I hear from an outside perspective because, of course, all of the achievements are great, but I always feel like there’s a lot more to do.”

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Becoming a mom, I’ve learned to become a lot more patient and sort of understand that I can’t control everything.”

Naomi Osaka

In the interview, the 27-year-old further touched on her evolution after giving birth to her daughter Shai in July 2023.

“What I’ve learned about myself is that I’m patiently impatient,” Osaka added. “Becoming a mom, I’ve learned to become a lot more patient and sort of understand that I can’t control everything, but I can only do my best in certain situations and hope that the outcome is positive, but if not, then there’s always another day,” she added.

On a lighter note, she also backed Shai, who hasn’t even turned two yet, to become a formidable force on the tennis court:

“She has a lot of energy, like a lot. I think she’d be a really good tennis player. She’s just the happiest girl. She has a miniature racket, so she does pick that up a lot, but I haven’t put her on a tennis court yet.”

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