Tennis star Naomi Osaka has made her highly anticipated return to the grounds at Roland Garros ahead of the 2022 French Open. Osaka pulled out of last year's tournament after she faced backlash for failing to fulfill her media duties, leading to the Japanese star revealing her struggles with mental health. One year later, Osaka, who is dealing with a lingering Achilles injury, returns for the French Open with last year still very much on her mind. The world no. 38 got honest on how she's feeling ahead of the tournament, per the Associated Press.
“I’m not going to lie. When I first came here, I was very worried. I was just kind of worried if there would be people that — of course, I also didn’t like how I handled the situation — but I was worried that there were people that I offended some way, and I would just kind of bump into them,” Osaka said Friday, her eyes darting around the room, her words separated by the occasional pause. “But I think everyone has been really positive, for the most part. I’m not really so sure. I was also very worried about this press conference, because I knew I’d get a lot of questions about this.”
Osaka said that she was “worried” when she came back to Roland Garros. The Japanese star revealed her trepidation about bumping into people she “may have offended” with the way she handled last year's French Open, which she noted she wasn't pleased with.
Clearly, Osaka, who will have to tough out her Achilles tendon injury, is going through a ton of different emotions right now with the French Open underway.
It won't be easy for Osaka to fight through an injury and her own fears at this year's French Open.
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