This archive report was first published on 19 August 2021.
On Wednesday, August 18, 2021, Naomi Osaka made a triumphant return to the tennis court, defeating American Coco Gauff 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the second round of the WTA Cincinnati Masters.
Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam winner, was playing her first event since the Tokyo Olympics, where she was eliminated in the third round.
Gauff had previously beaten Osaka in their most recent prior match at the 2020 Australian Open, after losing to her a year earlier at the US Open.
Osaka attributed her early struggles in the match to experimentation, saying, "The first set was an experiment. I was trying to see what was going on as I’ve not played that many matches. I was just examining here and trying to stay calm, trying to keep a level head."
Osaka's victory was a significant one, especially given her recent struggles with mental health. She had previously announced that she would reserve the right to avoid mandatory post-match media conferences, which she said damaged her mental health.
However, on Wednesday, Osaka was calm and composed in her responses to reporters, saying, "I was wondering why was I so affected, I guess, like what made me not want to do media in the first place. I’m wondering if I was scared because sometimes I would see headlines of like players losing and then the headline the next day would be like a collapse or they’re not that great anymore."
Osaka will next face Jil Teichmann, who defeated American Bernarda Pera 6-1, 6-4.
Top seed Ashleigh Barty also advanced, bouncing back from a Tokyo Olympic first-round loss to start her pre-US Open campaign with a 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) win over Britain’s Heather Watson.
Barty will next face two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka, who defeated Alison Riske 6-2, 7-5.
