"Without even being aware, Naomi Osaka would feel more relaxed"- Laura Robson rates Japanese's chances at Australian Open highly after maternity break

Great Britain's Laura Robson recently spoke at length about Naomi Osaka's recent maternity break and how it took some pressure off her.

Osaka, a four-time Major winner, made her much-awaited return to the WTA Tour at last week's Brisbane International. Although she lost early, the former World No. 1 got in some quality match practice after being on the sidelines since September 2022 due to her pregnancy.

The 26-year-old gave birth to her baby daughter Shai in July last year. She began training for the 2024 season soon after. The downtime from tennis likely served her well, allowing her to take care of her mental health and recharge her batteries as she got to spend some quality time with her family.

In a recent interview with Eurosport, Laura Robson spoke about Naomi Osaka returning from her maternity break refreshed. The 29-year-old believes that the Japanese star is likely to be "more relaxed" during her comeback trail than she was as a top player in the past.

"It's exciting to come back from pregnancy. I think it's less pressure," Robson said. "Inevitably you're going to be more relaxed because you realize tennis is just a sport and as soon as you have a family there's something that's always a bit more important than however you play that day," Robson said.

“So I think without even being that aware of it, Naomi would feel more relaxed and she would feel like she can enjoy herself a bit more because that was kind of the trouble in the past before she took the break; that you felt like she was putting so much pressure on herself to play well."

The former World No. 27 also spared a few words for Naomi Osaka's game, predicting that the Japanese star will have a considerable impact at the 2024 Australian Open.

“It was preventing her from being the Naomi that we know she can be because I think with her type of tennis - with the big ball strike and everything - you have to be relaxed. I feel like she can do some real damage in Australia," she added.

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Naomi Osaka is a two-time champion at the Australian Open

Naomi Osaka poses with the US Open trophy

Naomi Osaka is currently ranked outside the WTA's top 500 rankings, meaning she will require a Protected Ranking to enter this year's Melbourne Slam. The Japanese will be one of the floaters that can upset a top player and go all the way at the Major tournament.

Regardless of her place in the draw, Osaka has proven credentials in Melbourne thanks to her two triumphs in 2019 and 2021. The former World No. 1 entered the 2019 edition of the Happy Slam on the back of her maiden Major title victory in New York.

Osaka, seeded fourth at the time, delivered the goods as she won four three-set matches en route to her second Major title. Following a relatively quiet time on the tour, Osaka came back to the big title winners' circle in 2020, winning her second US Open title in thrilling fashion.

Naomi Osaka's rich vein of form carried over into 2021, paving the way for her most dominant Grand Slam campaign. The Japanese dropped only one set during the fortnight to take her fourth Major title.