Naomi Osaka says she would love to play in the Olympic Games this summer in Paris. The former world number 1 returned to the Bille Jean King Cup this weekend.
The 26-year-old has only reached the quarter-finals once in six tournaments played. Osaka lit the cauldron during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. The four-time Grand Slam champion gave birth to a child during her 15-month absence from the WTA circuit, during which time she was ranked 831st in the world rankings. “If I play (in Paris), I have big ambitions and I hope I can do something very well and win a medal ,” said Osaka, who was eliminated in the third round of the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, where she was eliminated by Agnieszka Radwanska. The Japanese Federation has the option of submitting a request for an exemption to the ITF to play at the Paris Games.