Naomi Osaka rocks braids in new workout selfie as she gears up for post-Australian Open tennis

Naomi Osaka has posted an image of herself working out, sporting one major change to her look. The Japanese former World No. 1 has made something of a statement by putting her hair in braids, perhaps signaling a new beginning to her season after her injury woes and early exit from the Australian Open.

After a torrid 2024, which was plagued by injury and inconsistency, she reached the final of the Auckland Open in January. She was leading Clara Tauson 6-4 in her first WTA final in nearly three years when an abdominal injury forced her retirement. After an MRI scan, she said that she remained optimistic about her Melbourne chances (via Dailysabah):

"I don't feel that it's too serious, and I still feel very optimistic about AO."

Unfortunately, her optimism was misplaced, and the injury recurred in her third-round match with Belinda Bencic. The contest marked her first appearance in the third round of a Major since her return from last year's maternity leave, and she again stormed into a 4-1 lead before pulling up hurt and then retired after losing the first 6-7(3).

It was a devastating blow, but in her Instagram post, Osaka appears to have put the disappointment behind her as she shows off her new look:

Naomi Osaka rocks braids (@Naomi Osaka Instagram)

Osaka, 27, is a four-time Major winner, with two Australian and two US Opens under her belt. In 2019, she reached the World No. 1 spot, but then in 2021 succumbed to several personal issues, including depression, which led to her taking time away from tennis. She remains the first Asian player to be ranked No. 1 by the WTA.

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Naomi Osaka has much to congratulate herself for despite her early-season injury woes

2025 Australian Open - Day 6 - Source: Getty

Despite her inability to finish the Auckland and Melbourne tournaments, Osaka has had a decent start to the year. She's 6-2 for the year and in both tournaments the quality of her tennis appeared to be back to somewhere close to her best when her injuries struck. At the Australian Open, she beat France's Caroline Garcia in three sets and then defeated 20th seed Karolina Muchova in the second round.

Osaka's WTA ranking slipped in 2024 due to her various issues, and she dropped out of the world's top 50 players. The post-Melbourne WTA Rankings have now been updated, and Osaka jumped nine spots to World No. 42. The future looks bright for the Japanese champion if she can resolve her injury issues and return to regular competition. Her new braids might just suggest she's ready.