Tennis star Naomi Osaka has claimed her first WTA title since winning the 2021 Australian Open. The four-time Grand Slam winner beat Kaja Juvan 6-1, 7-5 Sunday to win L’Open 35 de Saint-Malo, a WTA 125 tournament.
This was her first title on clay following her Madrid Open first-round exit to Lucia Bronzetti. It was also her first WTA title since she became a mother in July 2023. She returned to the WTA Tour at the start of the 2024 season.
“Kinda ironic to win my first trophy back on the surface that I thought was my worst,” Osaka wrote on X. “That’s one of my favorite things about life though, there’s always room to grow and evolve.
RELATED STORIES
“Thanks to everyone accompanying me on this journey, I know it’s turbulent but it’s also really fun and I’m grateful.”
Osaka has two Australian Open and two U.S. Open crowns on hard courts but little achievement at the French Open. In 2021, she pulled out of the clay-court tournament before the second round to take a mental health break, the AP reported.
Osaka, who has been open about her mental health struggles, was raised in poverty and propelled into tennis by her ambitious father. Her early motivation in tennis was driven by a desire to beat her sister rather than a love for the sport itself. Standing at 5’11” compared to her sister Mari’s 5’5”, Osaka’s competitive spirit emerged at a young age.
The 27-year-old will be in the main draw of the next Grand Slam, the French Open, in a few weeks.
