Shortly after giving birth to her daughter Shai in July 2023, Naomi Osaka returned to the US Open. Her comeback to the Arthur Ashe Stadium, and a court where she had lifted two of her four grand slam singles titles, was to sit in the stands and watch Coco Gauff play Karolina Muchova in the semi-finals. As Gauff advanced on her way to winning the US Open, Osaka set herself a target: she was determined to reach that stage again.
“Maybe I'm crazy or something, but I always feel like you have to imagine it, and then you have to believe it for it to actually come true,” Osaka said on Monday after defeating Gauff 6-3 6-2 . A couple of nights later, Osaka was beating Muchova 6-4 7-6 to return to her first grand slam semi-final in four years. "It's my first time in a semi now [as a a mother]," Osaka said. "I was sitting up there watching and hoping I could have the opportunity to play on this court again. This is like my dream is coming true."
