LONDON, United Kingdom, Jul 2 – Naomi Osaka said it “feels like a dream” as she made a winning return on her first appearance at Wimbledon for five years.
The four-time Grand Slam champion came through 6-1 1-6 6-4 against Diane Parry in the first round on court two.
Japan’s Osaka returned to the tour in 2024 after the birth of her first child, daughter Shai, a year ago.
The 26-year-old, who is now ranked 113rd in the world, was injured in 2022 and also missed the 2021 tournament while taking time off to deal with mental health issues.
“I’m really excited to be here and it’s funny, Wimbledon was the first tournament I watched after pregnancy and my daughter’s turning one tomorrow so, I’m really glad to still be here,” said Osaka.
Competing as a wildcard, Osaka raced through the opening set in just 22 minutes, firing a series of winners past French 21-year-old Parry.
Her level dropped in the second set, though, as Parry quickly levelled and the world number 53 twice went a break up in the deciding set.
But Osaka, who has never been beyond the third round at SW19, fought back and three double faults in the final game from Parry led to her downfall.
Osaka will play American 19th seed Emma Navarro in the second round.
“Before my match I was looking at my photo album,” added Osaka. “Like, they have that feature ‘this time last year’. I was looking at that, I was looking at photos of myself in the hospital.
“It’s really cool to be here now. I think my mindset last year was just trying to survive. Honestly, I didn’t really know what was going on after I gave birth.”
