With regards to Paris 2024, Osaka has lofty goals: “If they let me play, I hope to win a medal.”
The cauldron lighter from Tokyo 2020 made a comeback to compete for Japan in the Billie Jean King Cup, but she had to file an appeal to be allowed to compete in the Olympic Games because she didn’t meet the ITF requirements for two calls.
After Japan advanced to the Billie Jean King Cup finals yesterday, Naomi Osaka, the former world number one on the WTA circuit and the person who lit the cauldron in Tokyo 2020, stated that she “would love to be able to play, do very well, and obtain a medal” in Paris 2024, “provided they let her.”
The International Tennis Federation (ITF), which requires the top-ranked Asian player to make at least two calls to her home nation during the current Olympic cycle, casts doubt on her, as it prevents her from filing an appeal with the ITF Olympic Committee.
The sole representation of Osaka occurred last Saturday when they defeated Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan 6-2 and 7-6 (5). This victory helped the Japanese team advance to the final stage of Seville, which will take place between November 12 and November 17, following the Olympic Games.
Since she was the only tennis player in history to fan the sacred fire of the cauldron, it makes sense that the four-time Grand Slam winner—who was absent for 15 months in 2022 and 2023 due to the pregnancy and birth of her first child, Shai—bases her formal claim on motherhood or her “historic commitment” to Olympism.
In keeping with this, Saturday lauded the Games, calling it “a celebration of sport” that might bring people together.
On June 10, the Monday after the conclusion of Roland Garros, the ranking that will determine the direct spots for the Paris 2024 team will be finalized.
Osaka, which declared its goal to finish and win the clay season, ended the week in 193rd place, well outside of the top 56 needed to secure a spot.
Should she be successful in her appeal and fail to comply, the ITF may extend an invitation to her as a Grand Slam champion.
