With her recent decision to become a mother, Naomi Osaka has begun a new phase in her competitive career. After taking a season-long maternity vacation, the Japanese tennis star has returned to the tour with a strong performance while balancing her obligations as a mom and an athlete. Even if there is a lot of doubt about Osaka’s performance on the court, a well-known tennis writer recently made a daring “Grand Slam” forecast about her.
For WTA players, achieving the Grand Slam while raising a family is surely a difficult undertaking. Even Serena Williams, who has gone nearly four times, has not succeeded in doing so. Ben Rothenberg, meanwhile, recently shared his thoughts on how he thinks Osaka can succeed where the legendary American tennis player failed during her time on the circuit.
No WTA player has been able to win a Grand Slam championship as a parent on the tour since the legendary Belgian tennis player Kim Kleister. Notably, Ben Rothenberg was asked if he thought Naomi Osaka could join this exclusive tennis parent group in an exclusive interview with Sportsnow.
“I think she has a chance for sure from what we’re seeing,” he replied. She definitely has a chance with the way she’s playing, even if I won’t claim that she will definitely succeed. Indeed, Serena was unable to succeed. Thus yet, Azarenka hasn’t done it. Additionally, Serena and Azarenka’s shared experience of motherhood’s shortcomings is that they were both defeated by Naomi Osaka in a grand slam final.
“I mean, there’s great young players coming up all the time and it’s not just about Naomi,” the famed tennis journalist remarked, citing the likes of other tennis moms, such as Williams and Azarenka. It also has to do with how her rivals operate online. Thus, Naomi does not entirely control her destiny. In addition, Rothenberg praised Osaka for winning the Brisbane International in the first round of her comeback competition.
The four-time singles Grand Slam champion easily defeated Tamara Korpatsch of Germany in her Brisbane comeback match, winning 6-3, 7-6 in straight sets. In addition to praising Osaka for her recent outstanding performance, Rothenberg revealed that, following her return this season, he is now looking forward to seeing her.
“But I do think she remains one of the best when she’s at her best,” he said. That was, I believe, a pretty obvious reminder of what she is capable of, and we previously saw that in Brisbane. She seems motivated, so I’m interested to see what she can accomplish. And if she succeeds, that would undoubtedly be a remarkable achievement.
