Naomi Osaka [Source: Reuters]

For Naomi Osaka, returning to the U.S. Open is more about reliving childhood memories than revisiting her past successes, the Japanese player said on Saturday.

Since resuming play after a 15-month maternity leave in January, Osaka has struggled to regain the form that brought her U.S Open titles in 2018 and 2020.

In her latest tournament, she was eliminated in the second round of qualifying at the Cincinnati Open.

Born in Japan but raised in New York, Osaka will be hoping for a better outcome at the U.S. Open than her recent performance in Australia, where she was knocked out in the first round by Caroline Garcia.