Naomi Osaka returns to the US Open for a discussion about mental health with Michael Phelps

NEW YORK: Naomi Osaka returned to the US Open — the site of some of the tennis star’s greatest triumphs on a court and some difficult moments off it — for the first time in about a year to participate in a panel about mental health in sports, a topic she helped focus a spotlight on two years ago.

“For me coming back here, it means a lot. This room, in particular. There were some tears shed. A lot,” Osaka, who won two of her four major championships at Flushing Meadows, said with a chuckle in the Grand Slam tournament’s main interview room. “I feel a lot of joy coming back here. It’s kind of like seeing an old friend I haven’t seen in a long time.”

Wednesday’s gathering, which also included Michael Phelps, a 23-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer, and US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, touched on topics such as loneliness, connecting with others via a “buddy system,” the role of social media in mental health struggles and parenting.

Osaka is a 25-year-old who was born in Japan and moved to the US with her parents when she was 3. She recently gave birth to a daughter and hasn’t competed on tour since an event in Tokyo in September 2022, shortly after she lost in the first round of the US  Open.

The former No. 1-ranked player has said she intends to return to action at the Australian Open next January.

“It’s definitely been really interesting. The whole process. It felt long and short at the same time. When I stepped away ... I just remember watching the Australian Open and being very devastated, because I’ve never missed an Australian Open,” said Osaka, who won that major twice, too. “I was just thinking when I was watching Serena and Venus (Williams), I was thinking, ‘I probably, no way, will ever play at their age.’