Naomi Osaka and the appeal of a superstar at the US Open

NEW YORK – On Tuesday afternoon, the world number 88, who entered the main draw of the US Open with a wildcard, destroyed the 10th seed Jelena Ostapenko in the first round of the US Open.

In theory, this sounds like a surprise victory, but the wildcard in question is Naomi Osaka, a two-time champion here and one of the tournament’s biggest attractions.

Osaka is more of an introvert by nature, but she has the appeal of a superstar, even as a wildcard. From her sensational outfit – which on Tuesday included a tailored green tennis dress and a large green bow on her jacket – to her eye-catching power, she had enough to pummel Ostapenko to a 6-3, 6-2 defeat in just over an hour.

Flushing Meadows is most associated with her two greatest triumphs. She won the US Open here in 2018 and 2020, beating Serena Williams in the first final on a famously stormy occasion – through no fault of Osaka’s – and established herself as a star. But a turning point came here three years ago. She threw her racket several times and committed a rules violation for kicking a ball into the crowd during an agonising loss to Canadian Leylah Fernandez. Asked what happened, she said: “I’m not really sure why.”

“Lately I’ve been feeling very anxious when things don’t go the way I want them to,” she said.

In the three years since then, as Osaka continues to be known about the impact of tennis on her mental health, she has not won a single match at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

She returned to the sport in late December after the birth of her daughter Shai and looked up to the sky in tears after her win against Ostapenko, overwhelmed by the emotions of her first win in New York since 2021. There was a lot to process, but what really unsettled Osaka went back to her childhood.

“It was a combination of many different things,” she said after her victory.

“I grew up here. Just seeing the kids and remembering my daughter, but also remembering the kids coming and watching me play… And just remembering being a kid myself, I guess a long time ago, made me very emotional,” Osaka said.

Her mind also went back to last year, when her daughter was not even two months old and Osaka was watching from the stands as Coco Gauff made her way to the title. Osaka didn’t know then whether she could reach the level that had made her a winner here twice, made her the world number one and brought her two more Grand Slam titles, both in Australia.

That feeling has lasted through most of 2024, when she launched her comeback on New Year’s Eve after a 15-month break from the tour. The first half of the season brought some promising results, including a thrilling French Open duel with world number one Iga Swiatek, but the last few months have been tough. They have led to self-reflection.

After a disappointing loss to Ashlyn Krueger in the Cincinnati qualifiers, Osaka showed renewed momentum.

“My biggest problem right now, however, is not the losses, but the fact that I don’t feel like I’m in my body.”

Osaka, who criticized Arthur Ashe after winning the title in 2020, spoke about her difficulties in returning to tennis (Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)

It was a surprising admission and perhaps reflected the pressure Osaka was feeling. All year, her confidants had told her that the former world No. 1 should not be judged on the prospects of clay and grass tournaments, where she had found her place, but during the summer hard-court season.

Osaka would come to life on her favorite surface.

“It’s almost like having a deadline and working until midnight to meet it,” Osaka said Tuesday of the increasingly tight window she has to deliver on hard courts this year. Until Tuesday, her best singles performance had been that stunning night match at the French Open, where she had a match point against Swiatek. In the two biggest hard court events before the US Open, Osaka lost in the second round of the Canadian Open and then failed to qualify for Cincinnati.

Although Osaka was honored to be back on tour after giving birth, she was impatient and anxious. She compared her discomfort on the court to how she felt in general after giving birth. She was desperate to feel like herself again, and on Tuesday that feeling returned.

Louis Armstrong Stadium was buzzing with anticipation after Osaka’s two-year absence. An impressive matchup against Ostapenko, a top-10 player who thrives on the biggest opportunities – and has an unbeaten record against Swiatek – only reinforced the feeling that this match, like Osaka’s second-round match against Swiatek in Paris, would be more suited to a late game than an opening match. Osaka, world No. 88 or not, retains the importance of everything she has done in the sport, regardless of her ranking.

The match started evenly, but from the moment Osaka broke at 4-3 in the first set, the outcome was never in doubt. She began to hit her forehand with increasing freedom and bite; Ostapenko, a former French Open champion, had no answer.

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Osaka celebrated points with loud chants of “Come on!” and fist pumps, and the crowd responded loudly and energetically. In an outstanding display of controlled aggression, she held on to serve and hit nine aces to secure her first win over a top-10 opponent in more than four years. After securing the victory with a cross-court forehand winner, Osaka sat down and covered her face with a towel as tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Seeing the stadium so full meant a lot to me because I thought, ‘Oh, I hope people come and watch me play,'” she said afterwards.

She followed this act of disarming modesty by throwing down the gauntlet in the quietest and most unobtrusive way imaginable.

“For me, this place feels like home – it gives me so much more confidence.”

She was also particularly motivated to beat Ostapenko on Tuesday because if she did, she would get the chance to wear the other outfit she had prepared for the tournament. “That was very important to me,” Osaka said with a smile.

Where that run will lead is anyone’s guess. Osaka next faces last year’s semifinalist Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic for another chance to win. Before that, she can enjoy a win against a top-class opponent and the US Open can once again benefit from the appeal of a tennis superstar.

(Top photo: Robert Prange/Getty Images)