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Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka aims to compete at January\u2019s Australian Open and play \u201cway more tournaments\u201d than she used to when she returns after giving birth.<\/p>\n
The Japanese former world number one\u00a0announced her pregnancy\u00a0in January and had daughter Shai in July.<\/p>\n
The 25-year-old has not played on the WTA Tour since September 2022.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI don\u2019t know the level of play and I think I kind of have to ease into it,\u201d she told ESPN at the US Open.<\/p>\n
When asked if she had set a schedule for 2024, she replied: \u201cIt\u2019s definitely way more tournaments than I used to play.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think some people will be happy with that. I think it\u2019s because I don\u2019t realise how the beginning of the year is going to go for me.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the very least I\u2019m going to set myself up for a very good end of the year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Osaka said she had \u201cdefinitely\u201d missed competing and is keen to return.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been watching matches and I\u2019m like, I wish I was playing too,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I\u2019m in this position now and I\u2019m very grateful. I really love my daughter a lot, but it has really fuelled a fire in me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Osaka, who won the US Open in 2018 and 2020, and the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021, was at Flushing Meadows on Wednesday to speak on a panel about mental health.<\/p>\n
She has\u00a0previously taken breaks\u00a0from tennis to prioritise her mental health and spoken openly about the issues she has faced.<\/p>\n
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