WELLINGTON, New Zealand – Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka says she won’t “hang out” in tennis if her results don’t meet her high expectations.

The 27-year-old Japanese player will play her first match since suffering a back injury at the China Open in October at the ASB Tennis Classic in Auckland on Monday.

Osaka told a pre-tournament news conference in Auckland on Sunday that she was “humbled” by her form in 2024, when she resumed her professional career after a nearly 15-month break due to the birth of her first child. She finished the season in 58th place.

“I don’t think I’m the type of player who hangs around,” Osaka told reporters. “I have a lot of respect for all the players on tour, but at the point in my life that I’m at right now, unless I’m above a certain rank, I don’t see myself playing for a while.”

“I would rather spend time with my daughter when I’m not where I should be and where I feel like I can be.”

Osaka had a singles record of 22-17 in 2024, reaching the quarterfinals in Doha and ‘s-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands.

“I think 2024 has humbled me, but I also feel like I’ve grown a lot,” she said. “I worked much harder than I ever have before. I guess it was very painful not getting the results I wanted, but I feel like I’m growing and learning and I’m really looking forward to this year (2025).

“I played really good matches. People still talk to me about my Iga (Swiatek) match at the French Open (lost 7-6, 1-6, 7-5). That’s why I’m glad I was able to give people something, including memories.

“Although I was injured in Beijing, my last tournament, I’m pretty optimistic about the outcome of this match (against Coco Gauff) and I’m looking forward to playing on hard court again.”

Osaka won the 2019 and 2021 Australian Open and the 2018 and 2020 US Open. She said she still has a deep love for tennis despite recent injury setbacks.

“I’ve been playing tennis since I was three years old and a lot of that is thanks to my parents, but I never really imagined my life would be anything else,” she said. “Then when I sat there and had the opportunity to do other things, I realized I would rather play tennis.

“So it was kind of one of those moments of realization where you feel like you’re forced to do something, but in reality you really loved it.”

Osaka will face Lina Glushko of Israel in the first round of the ASB Classic.