"I hope this girl beats me so I don't have to be here anymore" - Naomi Osaka on the time she wanted to quit tennis to 'buy a farm'

Naomi Osaka thought about quitting tennis to seek a calmer life amid her struggles with mental health, according to a new biography.

Tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg has authored a biography about the former World No. 1, titled 'Naomi Osaka: Her Journey to Finding Her Power and Her Voice.' The book, which delves into the 26-year-old's remarkable journey, is slated for a January 2024 release.

As per a report by the Daily Mail, the biography explores the four-time Grand Slam champion's struggles with mental health. In the book, Osaka candidly talks about her feelings of existential doubt during her campaign in Charleston a couple of years ago.

Her inner struggles at that point led to her considering buying a farm and growing crops in order to completely disconnect from the tennis world.

"I just woke up one day in Charleston before one of my matches thinking what is the point of my life," Rothenberg quotes Naomi Osaka. "I was thinking, should I just go buy a farm and grow crops. And then I had to go play my match and I was thinking in my head – like, wow, I hope this girl beats me so I don't have to be here anymore."

Osaka has been transparent about her mental health journey over the years. In a recent interview, the former World No. 1 disclosed that she began experiencing depression after winning the 2018 Indian Wells title. She shared that the feeling persisted even after subsequent wins, and admitted to being unsure about what she was going through at the time.

"The first moment that I felt really depressed and sad was after I won Indian Wells for the first time. It happened again when I won the [2020] US Open. And Beijing. I was in China and I was hoping it would go away and I was crying on the court," Osaka said on the Mountaintop Conversations podcast.

"I thought to myself, I don't know what this feeling is, I don't know how to describe it and I don't know how to fix it so I guess I'm going to have to live with it for the rest of my life," she added.

Naomi Osaka set to make comeback at Brisbane International 2024

Naomi Osaka

Naomi Osaka has been away from the tour since September last year due to her pregnancy. The 26-year-old welcomed her first child, a daughter named Shai, in July. The four-time Grand Slam champion has been actively preparing for her comeback to the tour ever since, frequently sharing her progress on social media.

Her comeback date has now been confirmed, with the former World No. 1 set to kick off her 2024 season at the Brisbane International. The WTA 500 event is scheduled to take place from 31 December to 7 January.

The Brisbane International will serve as important preparation for Naomi Osaka's campaign at the Australian Open. The 26-year-old has won the Australian Open on two occasions, in 2019 and 2021.