Naomi Osaka and Emma Raducanu are in contention to win a WTA award after they were nominated for the Comeback Player of the Year.
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This week, the WTA announced nominees for multiple awards they hand out after every season. And in one category, two former Grand Slam champions found their place.
When it comes to Osaka, she missed the entire 2023 season due to pregnancy. After returning at the start of 2024, the former world No. 1 had her best result at the WTA 1000 tournament in Doha, where she reached the quarterfinal.
While the 27-year-old enjoyed a great week in Doha, one thing about her comeback that probably stuck into the minds of tennis fans is her French Open second-round meeting against Iga Swiatek. In her first Roland Garros as a mother, Osaka nearly became the first player since 2021 to beat the Pole in Paris. Unfortunately for the four-time Grand Slam champion, she ultimately fell just short after blowing a 5-2 third-set lead and a match point. However, it was still a highly impressive performance that reminded of her best days.
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In October, Osaka reached the round-of-16 at the WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing and was up by a set and a break against Coco Gauff before a back injury forced her to retire. Sadly, the Japanese didn't get to play in any other tournaments in the rest of the season. In the end, she finished with a 22-18 record in 2024 and got to No. 59 in the rankings.
On the other side, Raducanu played in just five tournaments last year before undergoing surgeries on both wrists and her foot in 2023 May.
After kicking off her comeback in the first week of 2024, the Briton made her first semifinal since 2022 in Nottingham - clinched her first two top-10 wins - and also reached the Wimbledon round-of-16, which marked her first second week at a Grand Slam since 2021. Also, the 22-year-old gained around 250 spots on the WTA rankings and is set to enter 2025 as world No. 58.
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Besides Osaka and Raducanu, Paula Badosa, Karolina Muchova and Amanda Anisimova were also nominated for the WTA Comeback Player of the Year award.
Osaka admitted to being impatient with wanting big results
Throughout 2023, the Japanese former world No. 1 made it clear several times that she would want huge results in her comeback and more Grand Slams. But after being out for 16 months and giving birth, the four-time Grand Slam champion unsurprisingly struggled with her results and consistency in 2024.
But while Osaka instantly not returning to Slam-winning form wasn't surprising, that didn't mean that the 27-year-old was content with it.
"Im the type of person who wants things to happen quickly, but Im just understanding that tennis has come such a long way and these are the best players in the world. However, it was her ability to dream big that arguably led to her mesmeric rise to the pinnacle of tennis, which she also laughed about," Osaka told The Guardian earlier this year.
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Ive had this since I was little. But the people they call crazy are usually the ones that are the people that do something really spectacular. My delusional trait is probably me daydreaming and inventing a scenario I want to happen and sometimes they do happen."
Raducanu fired a stern warning to her competition
Just like Osaka, the British tennis star also sustained an injury late in the season. But unlike the Japanese, she was able to recover in time for Billie Jean King Cup and participate at the BJK Cup Finals event in Malaga. There, the 2021 US Open went 3-3 after ousting Jule Niemeier, Rebecca Marino and Viktorija Hruncakova in straight sets.
And after appearing in 13 tournaments this year and posting a 23-13 record, Raducanu stated she believes she is a player nobody wants to draw early in the tournament.
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"Yeah, I think I started the year off pretty well for the first half, you know up to Wimbledon. Then I struggled a little bit more with my body I think physically. Wasn't able to play the full calendar and stay on court as much as I would have liked. But my assessment is, you, I think sometimes I need reminding, I'm top 60 in the world and I have played less than 15 events, which is pretty unheard of, in a way. I have to pat myself on the back for that. I know I'm a dangerous player. I know no one wants to pull my names in the draw. I take pride in that, and I'm looking forward to hopefully staying on court longer next year," the 22-year-old said.
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It remains to be seen if either Osaka and Raducanu will be picked for the WTA Comeback Player of the Year of if will be someone else.
