4-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka returned to the tour this year. After taking a hiatus to take care of her mental health, Osaka now has new goals in mind.

In her own words, the Japanese-American star stated that she wants to play for herself going forward, and not worry about results. Naturally, with the stardom that Osaka commands, also come brand sponsorships.

Among other big brands like Nike, Louis Vitton, and Nissan, Osaka is also the brand ambassador for Swiss luxury watchmaker TAG Heuer. In fact, Osaka came out with a new collection with the brand right before the Australian Open.

Why Naomi Osaka didn’t sport her new Tag Heuer collection on court

Early in January, Tag Heuer and Naomi Osaka released a new, limited-edition watch. Moreover, Osaka had even helped in the design process of the Aquaracer.

Osaka, who also enjoys giving her inputs in her clothing collections with Nike, stated in an interview that designing a watch is quite different, owing to the “smaller canvas to work with”.

Moreover, the TAG Heuer Aquaracer is meant to be worn on the court, as well as off it. Sadly, since the Aquaracer counts as a smartwatch, tournament officials denied Naomi Osaka the chance to wear it.

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Nevertheless, Osaka still sported a Tag Heuer band on her wrist. However, it was not the Aquaracer.

During a Grand Slam match, players are not to communicate with anyone during the length of their match. Since a smartwatch counts as a communication device, tournament officials did not allow Naomi Osaka to sport it.

Certainly, this was a missed opportunity for TAG Heuer, who could have had their latest piece adorned on the 2021 Australian Open champion’s wrist as she played. “We tried, but she cannot wear any connected watch while playing professionally,” said Frederic Arnault, the CEO of TAG Heuer. TAG Heuer’s CEO Frédéric Arnault said in an interview last week. [h/t tennis.com]

Osaka’s title defense was short-lived

As she headed into the Australian Open 2022, Naomi Osaka was the reigning Australian Open champion. Having taken much of the latter half of 2021 to address her mental health, Osaka had finally returned to the tour.

Osaka got off to a good start by defeating Camila Osorio in the first round in straight sets. In fact, she even won her second match against American player Madison Brengle in straight sets.

Thus, heading into her third-round bout against Amanda Anisimova, Osaka had all the momentum. However, her American opponent cut her run short and knocked Osaka out in the third round.

Nevertheless, the defending Australian Open champ fought hard, as the match was certainly a nail-biter that went into the third set tiebreak. Ultimately, Anisimova won the match 4-6, 6-3, 7(1)-6(5).

Do you think Osaka can bounce back this year and add another Grand Slam trophy to her mantle?

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