"At Peace" Naomi Osaka Readies For Indian Wells Challenge

Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka returns to Indian Wells, scene of her breakthrough triumph in 2018, with a new outlook on a tennis career plunged into turmoil in 2021. The Japanese star will take the court for the first time since a third-round exit in her Australian Open title defense in January when she takes on another former major winner in Sloane Stephens in a first-round match at the prestigious hardcourt tournament in the California desert.

She said Wednesday that she feels a new sense of confidence after her well-documented struggles of 2021 -- which put a spotlight on the mental health of athletes in a wide range of sports.

Even her loss to American Amanda Anisimova in Melbourne reassured her she was on the right path.

"Honestly, I feel like I'm at peace with myself, which I think is a great feeling to have as a person," she said Wednesday in comments reported by the Desert Sun newspaper.

"For me, the biggest focus this year is, of course, I want to do well in every tournament," she added.

"But I think just knowing that I tried as hard as I could and I enjoyed myself ... I felt the difference in Australia.

"I actually left the court thinking, 'You know what, I did my best.' And I had match points. That was pretty good."

Osaka withdrew from the French Open last year and skipped Wimbledon. After a tearful early exit at the US Open she took an indefinite break, saying she had struggled with depression.

She said she'd been encouraged not only by her own ability to enjoy herself more since her return to court, but also by the new expectations of fans she's encountered as she goes about her pre-tournament business at Indian Wells.

"I'm really grateful because I was watching qualifying the other day here and