‘Relieved’ Naomi Osaka earns first win at Wimbledon since 2018 over Diane Parry

On the eve of her daughter's first birthday, the former world No. 1 marked a new chapter in her comeback story on Monday.

WIMBLEDON—Prior to today’s 6-1, 1-6, 6-4 victory over Diane Parry, Naomi Osaka had last won a match at Wimbledon in 2018. Other than four Grand Slam singles titles, worldwide fame, several forays into social activism, and parenthood, not much had happened since. As Boris Becker once said, tennis years are dog years.

While Osaka’s initial ascent was comet-like, her return to tennis following last year’s pregnancy has been far more methodical. Though she hasn’t won a tournament since taking the 2021 Australian Open, throughout ’24 there have been encouraging signs. Most notably, this May at Roland Garros, Osaka held a match point on eventual champion Iga Swiatek.

Encouraged by that effort, Osaka started off strongly versus Parry. From the second point on, Parry’s strategy was clear: carve and curl her one-handed backhand low, short, and occasionally deep in the quest to extract errors. But in the first set, that carried little sway, proving boxer Mike Tyson’s adage that everyone has a plan until they get hit in the mouth.