Naomi Osaka may have withdrawn from Dubai and Doha, but she isn’t slowing down. The four-time Grand Slam champion has her eyes firmly set on the bigger picture, with 2026 shaping up as a year of renewal and purpose. Over nearly 14 years, Osaka has seen it all. She’s weathered early exits and savored the rewards of relentless effort. Just like every player, her story began with a dream that took shape under the influence of champions who inspired her to carve her own path in the sport.

In a recent conversation with Hypebeast, the 28-year-old reflected on how much the sport has evolved since she first stepped onto the professional stage. She has been on court since she was three and was already a professional by 16 or 17. Looking back at her inspirations, Osaka said, “Everyone’s been inspired by the Williams (Serena and Venus) sisters. Whether they say it or not, they’ve definitely changed the game a lot,” the 28-year-old said.

However, Naomi pointed to something beyond just playing styles. She believes today’s athletes are far more tuned in to fitness and recovery. And in her view, one player stands out for setting that standard – Novak Djokovic.

“Now everyone’s figuring out their fitness level. I feel like that also has to do with Djokovic, to be honest,” she said, further explaining, “He’s kind of set a precedent on understanding your body and putting in work to do all the recovery. He’s amazing. He just went to the Australian Open finals, and he’s still here fighting and winning.”

At 38, Djokovic can’t enter a tournament without hearing the same question: “When are you retiring?” And especially after his longtime rival, Rafael Nadal, stepped away from the sport at the same age in 2024, the comparisons have only grown louder. But Djokovic has made it clear that he’s not ready to say goodbye. Not to mention, he still serves as motivation for Naomi Osaka.

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You see, before stepping away for maternity leave, Osaka was one of the most dominant players on tour. She won the US Open twice, in 2018 and 2020, and lifted the Australian Open trophy in 2019 and 2021. She climbed to World No. 1 and collected seven tour titles overall, establishing herself as a true force in the game.

Her return in 2024 came with expected challenges. She finished that season ranked No. 59 and entered 2025 still trying to find her rhythm. There were flashes of promise, but fitness and consistency didn’t always cooperate. By 2025, she won a title at the WTA 125 event in Saint-Malo, France. On the other hand, she faced early exits in Melbourne, Paris, and London.

Later, after a second-round loss in Washington, she split with Patrick Mouratoglou. Then, in August, came what felt like a turning point when she partnered with Wiktorowski.

Osaka reached the final at the ASB Classic, where she fell to Clara Tauson. She made another deep run at the National Bank Open, pushing Victoria Mboko in the final. And perhaps most encouraging, she advanced to the US Open semifinals for the first time since 2020.

Now in 2026, Osaka sits at No. 16 in the world with a 3-1 record, even though the season hasn’t been entirely smooth. When asked about her legacy, she reflected on how becoming a mother shifted her perspective.

“I would hope my legacy is that I’m someone who made it easier for the generation after. And also someone that made it easy for the people that are different or unique. For me, with my background being Japanese, Haitian, and American, I’ve just always been considered different.” she explained.

It’s been a tough run so far this year. But keeping her eye on the prize, she’s not giving up. And she’s got one thing on her list before she hangs up the racket.

Naomi Osaka confesses to her one wish before retirement

At 28, she’s still waging a tug-of-war with injuries that refuse to let her find rhythm. The latest setbacks came at the Qatar Open and Dubai Tennis Championships, both cut short because her body wouldn’t cooperate. Before that, the Australian Open exit stung hardest. But she’s still got her mind set on one goal:

“Hopefully to win another Slam, that would be a very big goal I’d love to set for myself, which I think is possible. It just sucks that I got injured in Australia,” she said, keeping her trademark mix of honesty and hope alive.

The trouble began before her third-round clash with home favorite Madison Inglis in Melbourne. Osaka later took to Instagram to explain what went wrong. “I’ve had to make the difficult decision to withdraw to address something my body needs attention for after my last match,” she wrote, confirming that her choice came after simply listening to her body.

Now, a month later, Naomi Osaka opened up again, sharing that the injury wasn’t new. She’d battled it before and believed she could muscle through.

“Yeah, I mean, it’s an injury I’ve had a couple of times before, and I thought I could push through it. I played my last match with some pain, and I thought maybe if I gave myself a break before my match today, I would be able to handle it, but I warmed up, and it got a lot worse, so yeah.”

The four-time Grand Slam champion has faced her share of physical battles: hamstring strain, shoulder tightness, and back issues that have often forced her to pull out mid-tournament. But perhaps even tougher were the mental health challenges that led her to take time away from tennis. Anxiety and depression once pressed pause on her career, but that break reshaped her perspective and recharged her drive.

2026 feels like a year of unfinished business. With seven WTA titles to her name and two trophies each from Melbourne and New York, there’s still plenty left in her story. The question now: Can Naomi Osaka’s body keep up with her spirit as she writes her next chapter?