Will Naomi Osaka find her inner Andre Agassi?

In a press conference the day before Naomi Osaka kickstarted her 2025 WTA campaign in Auckland, the 27-year-old former No. 1 told journalists:

“I've been playing tennis since I was three, and a huge part of that I owe to my parents, but I never really saw my life doing anything else. Then, when I sat there and had the opportunity to do other things, I realized that I'd rather be playing tennis. So it was kind of one of those realization moments where you feel like you thought you were forced to do something, but in actuality you very much truly loved it.

You don’t have to be a boomer or deep diver into tennis trivia to hear a familiar ring in those words. They evoke the struggles of Andre Agassi, the Hall of Fame player who, while also an outsized star, was as different from Osaka as clay is from grass. Each of them had a mid-career encounter with the familiar warning, “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.”

This is an age-old story that goes well beyond sports. It’s the tale of fish that swim around complaining that the only thing wrong with the ocean is all that darned water. Agassi ultimately recognized the danger in turning his back on his identity, and the sport that defined him, in a nick of time. He mounted a spectacularly successful comeback. Osaka is facing a similar challenge in this pivotal year of 2025.

Osaka recently told the Associated Press that she is not the type of player who would “hang around” if she did not return to the elite level.

“I have a lot of respect for all the players on tour,” she said, “but the point of my life that I’m at right now, if I’m not above a certain ranking . . . I’d rather spend time with my daughter if I’m not where I think I should be, and where I feel like I can be.”

The similarities to Agassi’s history, as well as some key differences, are worth exploring. Both were pushed hard by their parents. Both were interested in celebrity. Both tapped out at a comparable point in their respective careers but, following a period of turbulence, returned to the tennis fold. The outstanding difference may be that Osaka became a mother in the interim, while Agassi was newly single when he flung himself full-force into a comeback.

In 1997, the long-simmering resentment Agassi harbored against having been forced into tennis came to a crescendo. At 27 (the same as Osaka is now) he was a celebrated, three-time Grand Slam champion floundering in a failing marriage (with movie star Brooke Shields), dabbling in crystal meth, dealing with injury and watching his tennis career circle the drain. He went 12-12 that year, with no titles. By year’s end his ranking had bottomed out at No. 141.

But Agassi picked himself up by the bootstraps with help from his coach Brad Gilbert and his loyal, lifelong fitness trainer—and surrogate father figure—Gil Reyes. Agassi won five titles and shot back up to No. 4 in 1998, setting the stage for an astonishing second career, during which he completed a career Grand Slam and won five of his eight Grand Slam singles titles.

Osaka had four major singles titles and the No. 2 ranking in hand when she experienced her own crisis in 2021. She was struggling with depression, feeling the pressure of her position. Had she been a contemporary of Agassi’s in an era before mental health was freely discussed (that it became so is, to a large extent, due to Osaka), she might have walked away from tennis for good. But here she is.

That Osaka has re-discovered her love of tennis, and no longer holds a grudge against having been set on the path that has made her a global star, is welcome news. Whether or not she can still mount an Agassi-like comeback—she is currently ranked No. 50—is an intriguing question that will be answered for good in the coming months. A year in, Osaka’s comeback from a mental-health break and motherhood hasn’t been as smooth as Agassi’s was 27 years ago.

My mindset now is probably the most clear it’s been in a very long time. Naomi Osaka

Last year, Osaka went 20-16, rising from off the charts to No. 56. She did not play a tournament final, or get past the second round in any major. She has struggled with nerves as well as injuries that forced her to retire from matches in her last two tournaments (Beijing and Auckland). The Japanese star has been through a number of coaches, the most recent—as of September 2024—being Patrick Moratoglou. And earlier this month, Osaka broke up with the rapper Cordae, the father of their child, with whom she has been in a relationship since 2019.

“No bad blood at all,” wrote the former world No. 1, “he's a great person and an awesome dad.

“Honestly really glad our paths crossed because my daughter is my biggest blessing and I was able to grow a lot from our experiences together.”

Tennis is a different game now than it was in the late 1990s. The quality of the players, the stress, the money and the media have all been multiplied. And don’t even mention the impact of social media, something in which Osaka is deeply invested—and Agassi never had to deal with.

The most striking difference between the two players at the comeback stage is the stability Agassi enjoyed with Reyes and Gilbert on board. When Agassi was ready, the team rolled up its sleeves, and went to work, distraction and drama-free.

So what can we expect from Osaka at the Australian Open, and going forward?

She took on the question in her pre-tournament press conference, saying: “My mindset now is probably the most clear it’s been in a very long time. Obviously I did pretty well in Auckland. Like, I know I lost, debatably lost in the final (she was forced by injury to retire after winning the first set from Clara Tauson ). In my head I kind of won it. . .

“I’m really excited to play here. I’m also excited to be here with Patrick (Mouratoglou) because we technically haven't lost yet. So yeah, it’s going to be a good run I think.”

Wishing won’t make that run happen, but recognizing what you have before it’s gone is a giant step in the right direction.